


The mistakes we make

by La_perlas_mermaid



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 07:56:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20811710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/La_perlas_mermaid/pseuds/La_perlas_mermaid
Summary: Sequel to The things we do for love. Fighting in a battlefield is easy, fighting your own conscience is not. Agent Savage will learn that when he faces the most powerful mobsters in Zootopia, Nick and Judy





	The mistakes we make

**Author's Note:**

> Well this is the sequel for my original Mafia AU, like the previous installement these are all the 10 chapters I posted at FF.net all at once, so I suggest you take your time reading it because it's a huge wall of text. Like the previous story this one has sex scenes and lots of violence, you have been warned.

The jungle is riddled with bullets; shots are fired in every direction. A cacophony or blasts and shouts grows louder as the enemies hunt their targets with relentless drive, they can hear them with complete clarity even over the sound of war. On the distance a storm is approaching, loud thunder is ringing closer and closer, soon rainfall will pour over them. Tropicalia was never a nation known for its stability both in weather and its politics, which means the general safety for its citizens is variable at best. In the thick vegetation a hare runs dodging bullets, a large cougar and his pregnant wife stumble right behind him.  
-"El helicóptero está a 200 metros de aquí"- The skilled hare grunts to the mammals behind him. His rifle cocked to the side of his head as he surveys the upcoming threats around them. The revolutionaries are coming and they want the cougar's head, which is not surprising if you consider the aforementioned mammal, Mauricio Riviera, is one of the most brutal dictators to ever sit on Tropicalia's throne. But lucky him, he made a deal with the ZIA many years ago and now the agency is paying it back.  
It isn't Jack Savage's job to judge Riviera's ruling, his mission is to lead the now deposed dictator and his wife to the safety of Zootopia. The chopper waits not too far from their location, but the revolutionaries are coming in closer and closer with every passing minute. And while the irregular and elaborate shape of the vegetation does wonders to shield them from the upcoming bullets they are one led figment away from dying at the hands of the revolutionaries.  
The hare is obviously very fast even by lagomorphs' standards, but the cougars are not, since one of them is carrying an unborn child and the other one has about 70 pounds of excess fat. And the bullets keep pouring, typical of militarized nations, honest citizens have little access to food but it would seem like ammunition falls from the sky given the amount of it that gets wasted. One bullet managed to lodge itself in the female's right knee and she falls down hard on the fertile soil, her cries of pain and fear cut through the loud rumble of the upcoming storm and the gunshots. The revolutionaries are closing in, soon everyone will be captured unless the ZIA agent figures out a way out of this hell storm. –"Ayudame por favor que no maten a mi bebe"- The female implores to the hare, her large brown eyes are covered in tears.  
-"Vas estar bien te lo juro"- Agent Savage tells her reassuringly and means it, he will take them both to safety, he gave her his word.  
But time is running out and he has very little options ahead of him. So after this mayor setback all Jack could come up with is to place himself below the wounded cougar, his small but muscular arms around her torso, and with all his might tries to drag her into the awaiting chopper less than seventy meters away. He is strong enough to carry her there, but not enough to do it before they are caught. Exasperated by the almost hopeless situation Jack gives a hard stare to Riviera and barks.  
–"Ayudame a cargarla!"-  
Riviera simply gives him a stone cold glare, not even bothering to come close to them –"I will help you alright"- he says with a thick Spanish accent, and then he takes Jack's rifle and uses it to shoot his own wife in the head.-"Problema resuelto"- The dictator says coldly.  
The pregnant cougar that used to be Margarita Riviera convulses in the agent's arms, a large gaping hole now placed were her face used to be. Then there was nothing more than dead flesh.  
Without uttering a word Jack lowers the dead pregnant female on the ground and runs the rest of the way to the helicopter, the cougar close in tow.  
Once they were airborne the hare has no trouble handling the controls, even when a tropical storm is coming their way. On the outside, Jack's cold demeanor is the highest epitome of efficient professionalism. On the inside he's screaming in frustrated anguish and wishing he had shot that fucking cougar or even better, deliver him right into the revolutionaries. The look of horror in Mrs. Riviera's face will be the fuel for his nightmares from today to his final days, he had given her his word that he would save her, and thanks to the dictator for the first time in his life he made a promise he couldn't keep.  
How did he end up in this clusterfuck of a mission? Because he did NOT sign up for this when he joined the agency, he wasn't stupid enough to expect his life to be anything like a James Boar movie but for carrot's sake he at least expected to be a hero. It doesn't matter what the ZIA says, there is no justification for what he was ordered to do.  
He cursed the idiots in charge to do the proper extraction, once Riviera's government collapsed he should have been evacuated from the rooftop of the parliament by a regular helicopter but the machine was caught in the storm on the way there. So the dictator had to escape through land on a bulletproof limo surrounded by the Tropicalia's military, which chose to switch sides in the last minute, and instead of the airport they led him right into the jungle where his enemies had built their original faction.  
And what happens when plans go awry? They call the most efficient agents to do the cleanup and save the day. The one that was closer to the site was Jack, who was doing an undercover mission in Amazonia, so he got saddled with the short straw. When management knew about the wife's death they didn't seem to care in the slightest because Riviera is the one they wanted, collateral damage they called it, how he hates that word.  
-"In case you are wondering, I did it for her own good"- Jack hears the deep voice from behind him and feels an acid knot form in his stomach.  
"For your own sake Riviera, shut the fuck up" The hare thought bitterly, wondering if crashing the helicopter into a nearby mountain with the fat cougar inside wouldn't do more good than his last three missions combined.  
-"You shot your pregnant wife for her own good?"- Jack's tone was even, but he chew out every single word, tightening his grip on the controls so he wouldn't choke that monster to death.  
-"She would have been caught, and when they got her a quick death would look like a blessing, compared to the tortures they would have subjected her to. We had to abandon her either way, at least she is safe from them now"- Riviera sounded like he was giving a speech for his campaign. Not even a flicker of pain or sympathy for the poor soul foolish enough to marry him.  
-"Or you could have lifted her up and helped me carry her to safety"- The hare grumbled through his buck teeth.  
-"And all three of us would have been slowed down, and then easily captured. I do give you credit, a small bunny like you was able to lift her up. You are much stronger than you look"- The cougar grins as he fishes a cigar from his breast pocket, playful rings of smoke evaporate into the cabin and then fade towards the night sky, lighting crashes near them but they can escape the worse part of the storm.  
-"I'm a hare not a bunny"- Savage says dryly  
-"Tom-a-to, tom-ei-to. Is that how you gringos say? Or isn't it about potatoes?"- At the cougar's callous comments all the agent can do is check the monitors so he doesn't bang his head on the control panel in exasperation.  
The bordering nation of Amazonia is now below them, he could swear it took ages to get here.  
Ten minutes later he lands the helicopter into the international airport where a large luxurious jet awaited for them. At least five more agents are there to guarantee Riviera's safety, soon they would be flown to Zootopia.  
The large fat cougar sauntered into the plane, while Jack stood frozen in place as soon as he stepped down from the helicopter.  
-"Are you coming?"- Both the dictator and the other ZBI agents ask  
Jack then chooses to get his conscience back, that thing he had been forced to lock up in a dark recess of his brain. It was a necessary step so he could finish the job, that's when the colder pragmatic part of his psyche had to take charge and handle the mission, but that was only until they were out of danger. Now Riviera is the agency's problem, his job is done. And he would rather walk to his home wearing broken glass between his toes than spend another minute in the company of that jerk, so he gives them all a cocky grin and tells them:  
-"Nah thanks, I'll take the bus"-  
-"Are you crazy Savage? It's a seven day trip by land. Did that cute little head of yours got concussed or something?"- A large hippo wearing the standard ZIA cheap black suit mocks him.  
The hare turns on his heels and walks away from them, his right front paw casually poised by his side, his middle finger rises cheekily. –"Kiss my FLUFFY cotton tail Einhorn. And do NOT call me cute"-  
…..  
His handler was an angel, she sent Jack a plane ticket, sure he was cramped in coach next to a crying baby goat for five hours and got stuck on the airport three hours prior to that. Yet he would go over that several times over instead of seeing Riviera's face again, so all in all, things weren't so bad. Actually it could have been worse; he could still be caught in a rickety bus, riding next to a hundred cramped Tropicalians into the dirt roads of the jungle for the rest of the week.  
He felt pity for those poor folk, trapped in a never-ending circle of tyranny by interests and forces far from their control. If the monsters that oppress them can literarily get away with murder, how could they ever escape the poverty that haunts their lives?  
Tired, grumpy, and with an existential crisis the hare shuffled into the nearest bar as soon as he left the airport, not caring that it was eleven am or that the place looked neglected and unsanitary.  
He sat in the darkest corner, far from the window. Right now what he wanted the most was a quiet place to be alone with his thoughts, and a tailload of alcohol of course. He barely had time to sit down when a skinny ewe took his order.  
-"Do you know how to make a margarita? I mean, I want the original recipe"- He mumbled on the verge of exhaustion.  
-"Sure"- the ewe said blinking; it took a very confident male with nothing to prove to ask that drink on a biker's bar, anything other than beer or whisky and the other patrons will call you a queer. She was glad that the place was empty at this hour, for the looks of it the last thing this poor hare needed is a bar fight. For her part she thought the division between manly and girly drinks was stupid, booze is booze after all. To the client's credit, the original margarita has even more alcohol than a martini, and with its salted rim it is far from the sweetness usually associated with feminine drinks.  
As she mixed the tequila with the triple sec into the cocktail shaker, she stole a glance to the rabbit, he was definitely cute. Deep blue large eyes that held contrast to his white and black striped fur, even when his shoulders were slumped it was obvious he was very fit and much more muscular than an average hare. She wondered if maybe he was like the drink he ordered, something easy to trivialize but packing a strong punch.  
Too bad he was clearly having a bad day and not wanting to be bothered. She wouldn't mind spending a little alone time with him, she thought it was worth the risk of getting rejected so when she served him the drink the ewe gently placed a folded napkin next to the glass. Raising an eyebrow he unfolded it and found a telephone number with the word Shirley below, raising his eyes to meet hers she told him shyly  
-"I know you are probably not in the mood to make a new friend, but if you feel better later on, don't hesitate to call me."-  
Jack smiled at her candor, he liked females who took the lead they were usually confident and easy to talk to. She wasn't a hare, but he had no problem venturing out of his species once in a while. He took a little time to appreciate her soft white wool.  
-"You guessed right, I won't be a good company today but I would like to call you later"- He shook her hooves –"My name is Jack, it's nice to meet you"-  
…..  
How is the private life of an international super spy you ask? Well it is actually pretty boring, turns out that if you want to chase bad guys through rooftops or shoot a machine gun from a helicopter that is set on fire, you can't afford to be a couch potato. The stunts this job calls for on regular basis requires an excellent physical shape, the kind that takes a very demanding exercise schedule and lots of discipline. And that doesn't even cover all the foreign language classes, or the myriad of skills he needs to perfect in order to be effective, from martial arts to flying lessons. So in short, all Jack does on his free time is train and work out, because anything other than that could hurt his performance on the field, killing him or his companions.  
Since he never knows when he could be called on duty, drinking too much or partying is out of the question, his chances for success in an upcoming mission would drop drastically if he were battling with a hangover.  
Like this very moment right now, when a combination of margaritas, beer and whiskey has rendered the usually alert hare completely defenseless and passed out. His small body is wrapped in tangled bed sheets as he snores loudly in his cold bedroom.  
The intruder, a large cow, hovers close to the sleeping agent, large hooves reach his shoulders and shakes him up.  
-"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty"-  
Nothing, not a single response.  
Frustrated the cow swings the limp form of the agent over her shoulders, and while still in his t shirt and sweatpants she places him below the shower and turns it as cold as possible. When the freezing water hits Jack's soft fur his eyes snap open and he shouts from the shock, scanning his surroundings in a panic he makes out the shape of his handler, after squinting his vision gets clear enough so he can see the look of worry on her face.  
-"Boy you are a mess. You didn't even bother to lock your door Savage, I could have killed you hours ago if I wanted to"- She knew he had it bad in Tropicalia but this is much worse than she expected.  
-"Hey M, you know I always dreamt of meeting you in my shower but I never thought we would be having our clothes on"- His mouth managed the coy grin of his usual cocky self, but the hollowness on his eyes gave the illusion away. He has always been good at hiding his emotions, for this to show so clearly on him it has to mean he's on his last legs.  
The cow kneeled on the white tiled floor; a motherly hoof was placed below the rabbits chin forcing him to look at her in the eye.  
-"Get a proper shower Savage, then we will have a big cup of coffee and a very long talk"- She said turning away and gently closed the door behind her.  
"I don't want to do this anymore" Jack thought in despair, but the words never left his lips. It was hopeless anyway, no one would take his resignation seriously while he was a drunken mess.  
So as it had been the case for the last fifteen years, he did exactly what he was told.  
Thirty minutes later he found himself on his kitchen table nursing a large cup of black coffee, the heavenly smell of the dark liquid seemed to warm him up a little bit, because he still felt cold after M gave him that rude awakening.  
In front of him the large cow sat daintily in one of his larger chairs, he always admired how graceful she could be in spite of her big size. She was waiting for him to talk, and he knew by previous experience how patient she could be, sooner or later he would have to open up with her about his problems so she could snap him out of his issues and then send him straight to work. Because no matter how caring she acted sometimes, the truth is she would never bother to visit him unless there was a mission to be taken care of.  
-"Did I ever tell you about my first job?"- He said faking cheerfulness while staring at his coffee.  
-"Only a thousand times"- She responded annoyed.  
-"A terrorist group was planning to bomb the Zootopian embassy in Catbul, they chose a school bus filled with kittens that were about to go on a field trip to the monument next to the embassy, their plan was to blow it up once it got there with all the civilians inside. As soon as I heard their plans I managed to kill all those terrorists before they could set up the bomb, those kittens went on to have their day out never knowing they had been in danger. That is how I started up on the ZIA, saving kittens."- He smiled fondly at the memory; he had taken out the bad guys and saved the innocents, that day he knew that that's what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He would be the hero to the defenseless, and the boogie mammal of anyone that dared to disrupt the peace.  
But reality crept into his mind once again, he realized now that he wasn't a hero anymore and to make things worse, maybe he never was one to begin with. So he continued talking with an expression of self disgust:  
-"Now let me tell you about my LAST job, I saved a genocidal monster from his rightful punishment, but not before I had to stay put while he killed his pregnant wife. And why was I ordered to do that? Because ten years ago that monster ratted out his own enemies to our government, allowing the ZIA to get rid of a threat but also infiltrating the drug trade that was blooming in Tropicalia. How is that going by the way? Are you any closer of ending the drug traffic? Or are you making so much money as middlemammals that you are acting like state sponsored dealers now?"- His ice blue eyes rose to meet the cow's, rage shone clearly on them.  
The cow was unfazed by the agent's rant, he isn't the first one to voice these kinds of objections and certainly won't be the last, as a matter of fact she saw it coming a long time ago. He might be much smarter and resourceful than most of the agents on the field, but not even over a decade of war were able to harden his heart. She blamed his species; rabbits can be too emotional for their own good sometimes.  
-"First of all, you know why we have to pay these kind of favors back, if we want future sources to help us they need to know we will keep them safe. And sure that usually involves getting our paws dirty, but you should know by now the agency isn't just cool missions abroad and saving kittens"-  
The handler laid her eyes at the hare's dejected expression; trained murder machines like him shouldn't look this adorable. She tried to get to him from a different angle.  
-"Jack do you honestly see yourself dodging bullets and beating bad guys to death ten years from now? Effective agents like you can gain a lot of power from the secrets they collect during their careers, management likes you and if you play your cards right you can get a promotion in the near future.  
But in order to do that you have to know how to play these kinds of advantages, so if you ever want to be more than a pawn in the game of politicians I suggest you stop moping and get your shit together, who knows maybe you can end up as the head of the ZIA."- She gave him the same smile a mother would give to her beloved son, Jack had seen that sweet expression enough times to know it was just one of her many tactics or persuasion.  
-"And what happens if I don't care about moving up on the food chain? What if I care more about not making the world worse than it already is?"- The resolve for a future resignation was beginning to take a more defined shape inside his head.  
-"You are not getting any younger rabbit, retirement might be you only way out in a few years, it's not that big of a paycheck compared to you actual salary you know?"-  
-"I'm 33"- He said exasperated  
-"You have the same physical requirements of a professional athlete; name more than ten that had fruitful careers after turning 36"- She deadpanned, then read the expression on the hare. She had seen it before and knew he was actually thinking of quitting, the poor fellow seemed to have reached a breaking point. It's a good thing she had a card under her sleeve, it was the type of mission most agents dream about but rarely get. –"Anyhow, I have a job for you and this is the one you're gonna be bragging about for the next ten years, it will be even better than saving those kittens"-  
M gave him a large file and explained, smugly noticing how the agent had gone from disinterested to exited:  
-"The Tundratown mafia has expanded at an unimaginable rate, in a few months they went from working on their own district to basically owning the entire city of Zootopia. They killed the bosses from the other two families and our sources indicate they have both the mayor and the chief of police from the first district under their thumbs, if we don't bring them down soon god knows what they are capable of.  
But now that their patriarch Mr. Big, has died, a power struggle between the minor bosses is expected and until that matter is settled they are vulnerable. Either we stop them now, or no one else will be able to stand up to them ever again. The next leader of the family will have more power than any other mammal has ever had in Zootopia since the times of the prohibition, and he will be younger and more vicious than his predecessor."-  
Jack was a little taken aback by the news, he realized how much time he had spent abroad and away from his own country -"Wow, how the hell did that happen? Last time I checked all mafias had been working on their own turfs and minding their business."-  
-"You did hear about the anti-pred conspiracy a few months ago right?"- M turned somber at the mention of that mess, an entire agency was dedicated to eliminate possible threats from the outside and a few darts with poison almost manage to destroy the city using its own terrified citizens.  
Jack nodded; to say that had been big news was an understatement, he had been working in the Amazonian jungle at the time and the news had even made it there. Literary everyone on the planet knew about it.  
-"All we know is that before that happened the family was relegated to its turf, when the whole thing with the savage predators blew up mammals in the underworld wound up dead. Fast forward a few months later after the whole debacle is over and the mafia has control over the entire city. A prey supremacy group was found guilty of the attacks, by the cops that happen to work with the mafia."- She scowled.  
-"You think they are the ones really responsible of the attacks, the terrorists were just patsies"- Jack said somberly, if the agency's theory was correct this mafia needed to be burnt to the ground. Many innocent lives were taken by the conspiracy, the city was barely recovering of the hate spilled by this tragedy.  
M nodded –"Mr. Big wasn't the type of mammal to play this twisted games, yet all this started when these two joined the mob"- a manicured hoof pointed him to a picture of a red fox in his early thirties and a young beautiful doe in her mid twenties.  
Jack scanned the file; the fox's name was Nicholas Piberius Wilde. There wasn't much information about him from before he became an assassin for Mr. Big. He seemed to have had a somewhat normal childhood in a mostly predator inhabited slum until his mother was killed by a mugging gone wrong, after that he basically left the system. But if records are to be believed, once he showed up on the Tundratown mafia mammals dropped dead like flies, he's been attributed several murders and even a mass killing in the Savannah. He must be one of the most cunning and devious creatures that ever existed, because he went from a nobody to the actual leader of the Savannah District in very little time, a rare feat considering that area was never pestered by organized crime before.  
If Wilde's file was impressing, the file of his wife was… wait what?  
–"That's his wife?!"- At Savage's shocked expression M merely huffed amused, times are changing it seems. Not that a pair of vicious assassins would give the slightest fuck about morals or taboos.  
Shaking his head the hare kept reading, the file of Mrs. Wilde just made no sense. Birth name: Judith Laverne Hopps. Apparently she was raised as a typical farm girl and had no criminal record whatsoever, while growing up in Bunnyburrow she was actually a straight A student. When she turned 18 she moved to Zootopia to become a lawyer with excellent grades, but about a year ago she dropped out to work as a waitress, while the restaurant she worked for belonged to Big her record was still a hundred percent clean. One day she was an honest mammal working in a decent job, the next one she was an assassin for the mafia involved in almost as many murders as Wilde.  
Pinching the bridge of his nose the agent grumbled –"This doesn't add up, how did a doe like Hopps end up with someone like Wilde?"-  
M said casually while she inspected her hooves –"Details are a little iffy on how they met but rumor says she was forced into prostitution right about the time he joined the mafia"-  
-"Is it possible that she's another one of his victims?"- Savage raised an eyebrow in curiosity, he couldn't fathom the idea that a doe would fall for a fox, but it was quite plausible that a predator would take advantage of her.  
-"That's our theory too, he is twice her size and a cunning criminal, we believe she is his slave and the marriage was only a front to make their situation legal. And that is where you will come in, you'll pass as a powerful businessman wanting to handle real estate on the city and as such you will need the mafia's help to navigate all the "paperwork" involved in such transactions. Once you gain their trust you'll become close to Mrs. Wilde and seduce her, if you succeed she will be your way in and then you'll be able to destroy the mafia from the inside."-  
-"There's a little detail you might have missed"- Savage said sarcastically –"Wouldn't the large murderous fox have a problem with me if I start flirting with his wife?"- He didn't mind tackling a predator like him, actually if he was as cruel as the intel suggested he would look forward to it, but infiltrating could be hard if Wilde sees him as an immediate threat.  
-"That's where your partner comes in"- M said as she gave him the photo of a beautiful arctic vixen –"Meet agent Skye Frost, she works for the KGB. As you can see she is very attractive, they call her the most dangerous femme fatale of Siberia, she will make sure to distract Wilde while you work your magic on Judith. If everything goes well she will kill him once they get their "alone time" if you catch my drift, with Wilde out of the way technically his widow would be left in charge and that is where you will pull her strings"- The cow said with an impish grin and winked.  
Jack saw the picture of agent Frost one more time, light blue eyes and flawless silky white fur. Even when most mammals weren't attracted to a different species, they could notice and even appreciate the beauty of another creature, if a hare like himself could acknowledge her allure he guessed she would be irresistible for a male fox -"Okay so when do I meet her?"-  
-"As soon as you get her out from a maximum security prison camp in Furmekistan, she was captured two weeks ago by the Sha's regime. Now get that fluffy tail up that seat, the plane leaves in an hour"- Now that she managed to get him involved on the mission she dropped the caring motherly act, and sent him on his way in her usual no nonsense attitude.  
Jack rolled his eyes, of course he couldn't just waltz right into the mafia, that would be too easy. Nope, first he would have to infiltrate a prison camp in one of the most dangerous areas in the whole wide world. And you know what? He wasn't complaining, unlike his previous mission he was the undeniable hero this time, he would be the brave soldier that would save the damsel in distress.  
And then he would make sure to destroy this wretched Mafia  
Chapter 2: Chapter 2  
Chapter 2  
They rarely make love nowadays but they do have sex though, quite often in fact. You see lovemaking is a process more than an action, one that requires two bodies to unite, perhaps not in perfect harmony because that would be unrealistic, but in a mutual understanding to give and receive pleasure as well to express care and concern to both parties. That unfortunately takes patience, energy and time. Neither Nick nor Judy had that lately.  
Running an empire is hard, criminal or not, and doing so while being inexperienced is even worse. There are comrades to handle, enemies to destroy and mammals to help every single day, there are times were the new responsibilities of their position utterly suffocate them. It wasn't as bad when Mr. Big was around, he was more than willing to offer advice or help whenever the couple had trouble in their turf, but the shrew got sick four months ago and dyed three days ago. Tomorrow will be his funeral, for the mammals of the family he will be greatly missed.  
Sex on the other hand is merely an act, one that triggers endorphins and gives a quick safe high, among its many benefits there's the ability to relieve stress. When Nick has a bad day he lunges like a savage beast over her tiny wife's body and has her pinned below him in seconds, she stays passive when that happens, playing the part of the fucktoy. More often than not she finds pleasure in the act, being treated like an object has a power-struggle aspect about it that she finds kinky and hot. There is a primal need in her that gets somewhat quenched when her fur rubs roughly on their plush carpet as he pounds her from behind over and over again, his large hard red shaft plunging into her depths in a careless greedy way while his cruel paws tug on her long ears without mercy. He is selfish when he fucks her like that, sometimes that adds fuel to the fire but sometimes his selfishness can leave her unsatisfied.  
Now when Judy has a bad day things get even more intense, she will viciously grab her husband by his tie and throw him in their large bed, she would then proceed to ride him at a speed only a bunny could achieve. She can be selfish as well, not caring if the fox feels comfortable with her frantic pace, not bothering to let him knot before she starts all over again, she plays with his body like it was her own punching bag taking hit after hit without a complaint. There is an unmistakable brutality in the way her round buttocks bounce over the fox's hips and there are times when Nick thinks the fuzzy dynamo above him will kill him from a heart attack, her angry excess energy scares him sometimes, but then he remembers that there are much worse ways to die so he chooses to follow her through the end.  
But this time it will be different, they are breaking that habit, and tonight they will make love even if that means they have to let the Savannah burn in its own sins for one god damned night. Tonight the fox's large paws roam the soft fur of the bunny by his side, finally able to explore her crevices without the careless rush that had haunted him before, his snout gently nibbles at her neck, his nose finally able to appreciate and savor her sweet smell. Judy's padless paws take their time combing through his thick coarse fur, soft tiny claws gently scrape the skin underneath the red coat, her buck teeth dig themselves gently on his shoulder earning a low growl from him.  
He enters her slowly this time, his tail lashes a little in his happiness and she snatches the tip in a possessive grasp, she knows how sensitive the appendage is so gently she rolls the tip between her thumb and forefinger, his husky moan is her only reward. The horizontal dance is fluid and coordinated, like the waves of the ocean. It is a perfect pace between the frenzy of their usual sexual vents and the slow and sometimes clumsy hesitation they had when they first met. He relishes in the feel of silk like softness on his engorged member, her soft yet strong muscles twitch and clench over his length, the slick moistness welcomes him over and over again.  
It's wonderful and special, the way a relationship between two mammals in love should be, he shivers a little in ecstasy when she moans at the contact of his knot within her tight responsive depths, finally the climax crushes over them and now they find themselves sated and stuck.  
For him the afterglow is even more meaningful that the sexual act, the knot is for foxes a physical bond with their mates, a clear sign of affection with great significance. Judy hadn't let him knot lately and even after he managed to do it she wouldn't stop to properly snuggle with him, she had been merely riding over his hard length all over again.  
This is even more important now as he is nearly entering in heat, because of civilization his state has nothing to do with seasons anymore like it did in ages past, now it is triggered by an emotional connection. Females still endure cycles of fertility but male canids in general only enter in heat when they find a mate they love so they can breed. It takes a very long exposure to the pheromones of his chosen partner for the state to be awaken but once it does a tod will not get rid of it until kits are born. As a fox unable to get his bunny wife pregnant he has no idea of what to do about it.  
So when dawn is approaching and the phone rings he still feels very annoyed, one night he asked, only one night to himself and his wife. Why is that so difficult? Carefully as to not awakening his mate he reaches the infernal device and turns it off, as in response now its Judy's phone that rings. Of course it would, both of them are bosses of the same turf, if they can't reach him they'll call her.  
Groggily the bunny grabs her cellphone, her droopy ears cover her face, only her left eye peeks through them and she stares at the screen. The caller is Samantha, her older sister and currently her second in command. At least twenty of her siblings have joined the mafia, most of them started from scratch since nepotism isn't acceptable for the Tundratown family, but at the same time Judy needed someone she could trust as her second in command and for propriety's sake it was best if that was a female. Nick was pretty territorial when it came to her, any mammal that spends so much time with Judy had to be both reliable and not a possible threat for the couple's relationship, no male mobster would be able to stay so close to her without having an aggressive fox on his back.  
Of all the members of her family Samantha was the best option, she was smart and brave, she also had an uncanny resemblance to Judy and while the younger doe never thought about that Nick believed that her looks could be useful in future jobs since she could be used as a decoy. She was a member of what the family called "The second wave", the first wave is the hiring spree Mr. Big indulged in when the mob wars were just starting, that is when a lot of aggressive and mostly male mammals entered the mafia. But when the dust cleared and the wars were over there was suddenly a need for mammals with more brains and less homicidal tendencies, creatures with leveled heads who could help managing the empire instead of just launching themselves into battle. So a second hiring spree took place, this one led by Nick and Judy, and many females along with tempered males begun to work for the Savannah family. It is because of that second wave that this turf was much more cohesive and effective than it counterparts.  
-"Hello?"- The sleepy bunny croaks from her place near her red fox blanket.  
-"Hi Judes, look I know it's a bad time but something came up, one of our guys got poisoned or something he's pretty sick"- Samantha says calmly in spite of her anxiety.  
-"Who is it Sam? Who got sick?"- Judy says blinking the sleep from her eyes, the bad news manage to awaken her.  
-"Clint Porkton"- Her sister responds, not knowing if the boss even heard about him.  
The younger bunny remembers the guy, he's a pig that worked as a bouncer in one of their clubs, and sometimes they called him when they needed extra muscle. He might not be technically a fully fledged mafia member but he had been very kind and helpful with them in the past, Judy has a soft spot for him.  
-"All right Sam just take him to the main manor and have the doctors take a look at him, I'll go visit him after Mr. Big's funeral."- She was about to hang up when Sam tells her  
-"No boss you don't get it, he was treated first at the manor but what he has is so strange they just took him to Cliffside, I'm sending you a video so you can see what I'm talking about"-  
Nick overhears the conversation and he notices Sam sounds terrified, if the usually collected bunny is this worried then this issue must be serious. He turns his own phone on and calls his own second in command, a wolf named Lobato.  
-"Oh my god Nick, look"- When the fox sees the video he knows things are seriously wrong.  
…  
When they enter the infirmary at Cliffside they are greeted by a badger in a lab coat, Dr Helen O. Nye had worked with Lionheart during the beginning of what would later be called the anti-pred conspiracy, but when the family took over the former asylum in a haze of bullets and violence she was "gently coaxed" into working for the mafia.  
In the middle of the room there is a gurney with a large muscular pig strapped into it, his skin has turned yellow and his muzzle seems to have been permanently contorted into a disturbing smile, the sounds that erupt from his lips sound like sardonic laughter but are in fact screams chocked out through lack of air. His bloodshot eyes seem ready to pop out of their sockets, all his muscles twitch and tense in a disturbing cadence.  
-"All right doc, would you mind explaining us what's going on with our fella here?"- Nick tells the badger grumpily, the daily stress and frustration seem to be getting to him lately.  
-"For what we know he has been abusing a new drug and this might be the result of an overdose, we haven't been able to identify all of it components but a preliminary result shows traces of cocaine, tetanus toxin and M. Holicithias extract."- The tired badger says disturbed, this is as frustrating as the fourteen mammals she had to treat almost a year ago.  
-"Are you sure he wasn't just poisoned? Why would anyone want to put those toxins inside their bodies?"- Judy asks puzzled, cocaine sure it was a regular narcotic, but the other two just made no sense.  
-"It's called Russian Roulette"- Lobato says walking respectfully towards them –"I've been talking to the guys from the lower platforms and they say it's supposed to make you much more powerful than you could ever hope for. Some say you could gain superpowers by using it like increased hearing, speed or supermammal strength. But they call it Russian Roulette because while most get away with using it, some get poisoned like our guy here, the worst part is that according to what they say this isn't exactly an OD, you could use this stuff once in a small doses and end up like this or you can use it for years in bulk and become a murder machine."-  
Nick shakes his head, the "lower platforms" is a term used for low class criminals who make deals with the mafias but don't necessarily belong to any family. For years he was one of them, satisfied to slither away in the streets selling pawpsicles, he doesn't miss many aspects of his previous life but he envies his past self for being able to live a basically careless life with almost no responsibility.  
-"How long has this drug been on our streets?"- Nick says angry, this kind of chemical could do a lot of harm on their turf.  
-"This is the first mammal to be poisoned in the Savannah, and even yet I'm pretty sure he got it from another district, I don't think it has reached our turf yet. But the nocturnal district has been selling it for three months now"- Sam says helpfully while giving a wary eye to the wolf beside her. The bunny and the wolf never got along, he thinks she is using her status as a Hopps to raise the ranks and she thinks he is too violent and a mindless thug to have such a prominent place.  
-"Is Kristoff in on it?"- Judy said outraged, drug trade is not something that this mafia forbid but they sure don't facilitate it either, now a chemical this dangerous should have been nipped in the bud not encouraged.  
-"Not really, but he hasn't done much to stop it either, he seems to be more preoccupied on other things"- Lobato said frowning  
The current leaders of the Savannah turf know better than to start feuds with other mob bosses, but they can't let their territory to become contaminated because one of them wasn't able to contain the issue properly.  
-"So how do we treat this?"- Judy says worried for the tortured pig behind them, it seems the illusion of a smile is caused by the constant contractions in the muscles of his face.  
Nick raises an eyebrow while both Sam and Lobato bow their heads, the older bunny gently places her paw over Judy's and tells her the truth in a gentle voice, she sounds like a heartbroken mother explaining her kits there is no Santa Claws.  
-"According to our sources from the Nocturnal district family there is no cure, once you are in this state you stay like this until you die, you cannot sleep or eat in fact there is no way to even numb the pain"-  
-"I'm afraid that last part is true, we have given him every tranquilizer drug in existence and he hasn't come out of it, we can't even put a feeding tube or iv in him because the muscle contraction makes it impossible"- Dr. Nye says frustrated, she hated giving up on her patients but keeping this pig alive is actually the cruelest thing to do.  
-"So he is gonna stay there and suffer until he dies?"- Judy says outraged, how can all of them stay quiet while that poor pig is suffering?  
-"Making him feel better is not possible right now ma'am"- The badger seems torn as well.  
Judy is not happy about what she has to do, but as horrible as it may seem it is actually the kindest thing to do in a situation like this. Ears droop behind her back as she grabs her gun and comes near the sick pig, her soft paw gently rubs his forehead.  
-"Hey Clint, do you remember me? I'm here to help you, can you close your eyes buddy?"- Her voice is sweet and comforting.  
The broken mammal seems to shake his head, there is a pleading anguish in his eyes, and the horrible smile on his muzzle seems to widen making him look like he is doing a maniacal laugh.  
-"It's all right, I know you feel bad but don't worry, you won't feel pain much longer"-  
The pig seems to have a grateful expression on his now yellow face; Judy places one paw over his permanently open eyes while the other one place the muzzle of her gun over his chest, one gunshot roars over the infirmary and the pig is now finally at peace.  
…  
Sunrise has come, the heads of the Savannah family and their seconds in command found themselves having breakfast on the Gilded Truffle, the idea is to make a contingency plan to stop this drug to enter their territory. It is frustrating that they won't be able to meddle in the Nocturnal turf without disrespecting Kristoff, so they can't just barge in and remove the Russian Roulette drug from the city entirely. Perhaps even harder than managing you own empire is to sit back and hope the other bosses don't screw up and even worse, not let their fuck ups taint your carefully guarded realm.  
Nick has to admit that in spite of their mutual hatred both Sam and Lobato do work well together, they managed to contain a possible threat and find the source of the issue. The wolf seems a little nervous while stealing glances at his boss, eventually the fox rolls his eyes and asks him annoyed  
-"What is it Lobato? If there's something you want to discuss with us just say it"-  
-"Boss, have you thought about who will lead the Savannah after you both leave?"- The wolf is the highest example of submission, his head bows and tilts to the side exposing his grey fuzzy neck.  
Nick and Judy stare at each other puzzled –"What do you mean by leave?"- Judy asks carefully. "Is he actually asking us to name a successor in case we die?" The bunny thinks somber, in all fairness given how the Tundratown crumbles after the demise of its most beloved patriarch that is actually a good idea.  
-"After you leave to Tundratown to become the main bosses"- Sam tells them in a matter of fact tone, as if them being named the next heads of the entire family is a given fact.  
Awestruck both fox and bunny stare at their comrades in astonishment, and then they laugh their tails off at such a ridiculous idea.  
-"Could you picture us Carrots? Sitting on the main desk and managing ALL the turfs in Zootopia?"- He was panting between breaths clutching his stomach as laughter bubbled from him.  
-"We can barely manage the Savannah! I haven't had a decent night of sleep in three months! And you want us to rule the entire city?!"- There was a hint of hysterics in her laughter, she crackled so hard a few stray tears formed right below her eyes.  
-"Say babe, how long would we last in that place? Two, maybe three months?"- Nick asked his wife through chuckles  
-"Months?! We would be killed by the polar bears before we even come close to the office, and if they don't I would blow my own head off within the first week, I have been pulling my fur ever since I became a boss and we deal with only a fifth of the city"- Judy said mimicking the act of pulling an imaginary gun and aiming it to her head while snickering.  
Finally their laughing fit subsides and both bosses wipe their eyes –"Thank you guys I really needed that"- Nick says in good humor. Both look at their comrades and frown at the dead serious glare they give them.-"You are not being serious about that right?"- He asks lifting his eyebrows in confusion  
-"You were the ones that negotiated a truth with the police, you are the ones that secured the Savannah and took out the other families. Face it guys if it weren't for you the Tundratwon mafia would have never expanded outside of its turf"- Lobato said adamant.  
-"No, we were only following orders; it was Mr Big the one that plotted everything we only did what he told us. And while Judy did kill Ke'elan, it was Raymond the one that took over the Rainforest by murdering Furia, he was in fact very gracious to let me participate instead of just mauling me in my sleep for meddling outside of our specific territory. That's what you guys seem to forget, the other bosses can eat us whole in less than a minute if they want to, they are much more experienced than us and had been around the family for years now."- Nick told them worried, this kind of "trash talk" between his subordinates could put them at risk from the other bosses, if any of them want to prove they are the true leaders both him and Judy could end up dead.  
-"Nick is right, after Big's funeral the new boss will be named and whoever he is we will obey him."- Judy gave her subordinates a hard glare, Sam was reminded at her own mother back at the burrows when she scolded her kits.  
-"Well we won't. Of all the turfs the Savannah is the only one that runs smoothly, the only crime in the district is the one we approve and control, the other turfs have a lot of small gangs wreaking havoc and killing innocent citizens left and right. All the other bosses are screwing up one way or another, if they become the main boss the entire family will fall, and we cannot let that happen."- The wolf implored, he genuinely believed the future of his family was at stake.  
-"Besides you complain about how hard you work here, but I know you Judes, if the new patriarch tells you to do something against your values you would not bow down at his will. Do you honestly think those other guys will be as noble as Big? What will happen when say, Kristoff gets elected, and tells you to let this Russian Roulette take over your turf?"- Sam cocked her head and gave her little sister a sly grin, she always knew how to pull her strings.  
-"And what do you suggest we do if they don't want us to be leaders? Should we just declare war and attack them? Because that would make us the Savannah against the Sahara, Tundratown, Nocturnal and Rainforest families. One against four, those are NOT good odds"- Nick retorted exasperated at the way this conversation was heading, just mentioning all of this was considered high treason in the mobster's code, Mr. Big would have been ashamed of all of them.  
-"Actually that would be two against three"- The wolf said with a confident half smile.  
-"More like two and a half over two and a half. Those seem like fair odds if you ask me, and who knows we might get even a better advantage if we work our influences right"- The older doe quipped with her sly grin still in place.  
-"Care to elaborate Sam?"- Judy asker her dumbstruck, fear was tingling at the base of her spine, she had the eerie feeling that a storm of drama was heading their way and she was probably not able to handle it.  
-"The Nocturnal district has had enough with their current boss, he has made things worse over there, now the crime instead of being organized is turning into a battle between the family and the hundred small gangs that run the turf. They want someone strong enough to wipe out the gangs so innocent mammals can stop dying in the crossfire, and we all know Kristoff is not strong enough for that. They are waiting for you orders bosses, one word from each of you and they will kill him like the Rainforest did with Furia"- The wolf spoke vehemently, like a passionate warrior longing to hear a battlecry.  
-"There's also the fact that half of the Sahara family don't think Kevin is strong enough to lead him, they know you, Judy."- Sam said pointing at her blushing sister –"were the one that killed Samir and think it is only fair that you take over his turf. I don't think they have much of a problem with Kevin but for them this is a matter of honor, they believe only the murderer of their previous leader is fit to rule over them, they see their boss as a coward who profited from the actions of others"-  
-"Half the city is in your paws boss, ma'am."- Lobato said respectfully bowing at both -"give the order and we will fight to the death so you can be the true rulers of the city. Remember that when someone laughs at the thought, you included."-  
….  
It was after the funeral of the former patriarch that Yuri called the minor bosses to discuss who would be the next main leader of the family. If Nick and Judy were worried about who would be elected before now they were terrified, two polar bears and an elk where in a bloody fight over who was the most fit for the position, the smaller mammals were spared from the awfulness because they said they weren't interested in occupying the post.  
It had started as a mere argument of course, each and everyone had expressed their opinions, the only thing everyone agreed on was that the fox and the bunny were too inexperienced to run the entire family. But less than an hour later the three remaining bosses escalated their claims until they were literally clawing at each other's fur trying to probe they were the strongest.  
A horrible though crossed the sly fox's head. What if Sam and Lobato are right? What if these guys are bad leaders and ruin the family? What if they see us as a threat and try to get rid of us?  
A chill traveled his spine when he realized that Kevin might have an unfinished business with Judy, without realizing it her impetuous actions have had a negative effect over Kevin's rule and the polar bear might be tempted to assert his authority by harming her. He knew he and his wife would not be effective leaders, but he did wanted to have a saying on who would sit in the main office, he wanted to make sure the next patriarch would be fair an honorable.  
He smiled as a cunning plan reached his devious mind. –"I have an idea"- The fox told Yuri knowing the large bear would make sure to shut the other bosses up so he could speak, the gigantic mammal roared so loud he made the furniture vibrate with its force, the room was silent after that. –"What if instead of fighting each other you guys put yourselves up for a challenge? The one that accomplishes the goal becomes the patriarch."-  
-"And what challenge would that be?"- Raymond asked suspiciously, Wilde was honorable but he was as sly as foxes come.  
-"Well there is a new drug called Russian Roulette making a disaster on the streets, now usually when a new narcotic shows up it can be contained but you can never get rid of it entirely, once it arrives it remains forever. But what if we actually manage to get the streets clean from it? THAT would be an impressive feat don't you think? Whoever manages to do that deserves to be the new patriarch"- The fox used the same tone for the mobsters as he and Finnick used for selling pawpsicles, submissive and charming.  
-"And if you manage to do that?"- Kevin asked –"We all believe you and Judy aren't experienced enough for the position but you are more than capable of bringing this drug down, you are young but we don't doubt your skill"-  
-"If we were the ones to manage that then we will choose the leader, and he will be the one that sits in the office"- Judy caught up with her husband's trick and played along.  
The newlyweds held each other tight and saw a twin sparkle in their mate's eyes, they would make sure to bring the mammals behind this drug down and once they did, they would make sure the new patriarch was the leader this city deserved.  
Chapter 3: Chapter 3  
Chapter 3  
Furmekistan Desert:  
A dark windowless room is the only thing she can see while the desert heat boils around her, there is nothing but empty loneliness to keep her company. To any other mammal being locked in solitary is one of the cruelest tortures that can be endured, after being beaten senseless, prodded with tazers and water boarded almost into oblivion her captors ran out of ideas and locked her on an abandoned bunker right in the middle of the Furmekistan desert.  
They aren't stupid enough to let her die of dehydration, so they keep hosing her with water at full force twice a day. They need the information she has and they won't kill her until she gives it to them, so for now the best strategy for survival seems to keep her snout shut.  
Skye Frost smiles to herself, do they really think loneliness and isolation can break her? Fools! She has lived in isolation her whole life, she practically grew in it.  
The arctic vixen was born in Siberia, as the privileged daughter of a powerful warlord and his trophy wife. While her older brother Alexander had been raised and primed for taking over the family business when their father dies, she was ruled out of the succession line because of being born not only a female, but an albino. Unlike most arctic vulpines her fur stayed white even in warm weather and her pale blue eyes had little resistance to the sun, yet that was the least of her problems, even as an incomplete albino (her snout and the skin below her eyes was still black) she was expected to suffer from deafness and/or blindness when she reached the adult age. A health risk like that meant she could never rule by her brother's side and could never inherit the leadership of his empire.  
So the patriarch sent his mutant kit to a boarding school for the most privileged located high over the alps in Animalia, as far from her family as possible. In there she was raised in the ways of a proper high class lady and was given the best education money can buy, learning at least six languages by the time she was thirteen.  
But the most important skill she ever learned there was how to handle yourself when nobody around you tolerates your presence. In spite of being as rich as her classmates everyone knew that her fortune came from a criminal activity instead of an aristocratic bloodline, so she was looked down by everyone in the school, to them she was just another sly conning untrusting fox.  
Alone in her luxurious room and unable to make any friends she found solace in a demanding studying schedule, working harder than ever to prove that everyone was wrong about her, that she was more than her criminal family made her out to be. Following that goal and with great effort she excelled in martial arts, fencing and track race, and when it came to academia she got the best grades in almost all subjects. In the meantime she also trained her body until her petite form was able to defeat opponents five times her size and her paws could crush planks of wood like a hot knife through butter.  
Her whole kithood she craved desperately to prove to her family that she was strong and capable of handling the business. The fuel behind her accomplishments was the foolish hope that maybe if she were strong enough, fast enough, smart enough then maybe she could go home in the summer instead of being ditched in a summer camp, that would mean that maybe she could stay with her family more than three days a year. Skye often fantasized of one day being accepted within her own family because she knew she would never fit in among the stiff brats of the aristocratic world, or her teachers.  
The white furred vixen spent her entire childhood alone, looking through the windows as "normal" kits played with their friends in the snow, knowing they would be welcomed into their homes at summer while she would be tossed away into another institution, so her father wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassment of showing off his mutant spawn.  
But no matter how hard the vixen tried or how good she proved to be, she was never seen as more than a liability in the eyes of her father, it took years for her to learn that no matter what she did she would always be seen as the weakest link.  
The KGB agent still remembers the fateful day when she turned eighteen and left the boarding school, she had waited for that day ever since her father threw her in there when she was five. After having made little to no friends in there she knew she wouldn't miss the place where she grew up, but she did look forward for a future in Siberia. But now that her education was over her family couldn't just hide her away in a place between the Alps and call it a day, they would have to face the fact that reaching her adulthood she wasn't anywhere near deaf or blind and she could defeat mammals twice her size in combat. But all her stupid hopes were crushed when her father sent her a letter right before graduation day.  
The letter was long and filled with affectionate words, he said he was proud of her performance and her grades but she could read between the lines. "This line of work is too dangerous for a delicate flower like you" she read on the white paper tainted with her father's pristine pawriting, "It is best if you follow your own way" it said, that and more saccharine sentences crowded the paper and it was too obvious they held no true emotion behind them. At the end of the letter there was a number for an account with five million dollars and the number of the dean from the University of "La Fangbonne" the most prestigious college in the whole world; apparently he had pre paid any college career for her to choose.  
She understood the message in that letter loud and clear: You are not our problem anymore, go find your own way and better make it far from us. Ever since then she stopped trying to contact them, and they made no effort to reach her either.  
Her classmates and teachers never accepted her, and her family wouldn't do that either. That day while reading the letter was the last time she would cry, the vixen cursed the random mutation that severed her opportunities from the day she was born, but when her tears ran out she decided how futile it was to rage about something she could never change. Her fur never turns dark, how is that a reason to be discarded and left alone?  
Loneliness was her only company, her thoughts and accomplishments her only friends. It took years for her to accept and even embrace that fact, eventually the solitude that haunted her became her utmost defense, building walls around her heart so high nothing and no one could ever reach past them. She convinced herself that the mutation was a blessing in disguise, since emotions are after all the worst weakness you can be exposed to, as someone who trained herself not to feel she then became unbreakable.  
So the arctic vixen set herself to prove to the world that she was strong, that her lack of melanin was no physical hindrance. She entered the Siberian army and gained the best scores, getting a college degree in mechanical engineering within the army academy program. It wasn't long until the KGB knocked on her door and her true calling was found, in intelligence agencies emotional relationships are considered a huge hindrance so loners were the rule not the exception, the agency was the first place she ever felt she could fit in. At the age of twenty four she was responsible for the infiltrating and dismantling of five different governments and the death of at least two dictators, not even counting hundreds of soldiers and enemies.  
At twenty nine she is a legend, the femme fatale of Siberia, how dare this puny soldiers to think they have the upper paw. Its true she made a dire mistake though, she was supposed to send the location of the current dictator's nuclear warheads to her superiors at the KGB but the safe house where she sought refuge sold her out to the regime. Now the Sha's army wants to extract information about her fellow agents who are still infiltrated within the regime and is very curious of why is the KGB nosing around their country.  
Oh well what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, now she knows not even her colleges must be trusted. Her mentors trained her well, to her their torture methods are tickle fights, and the isolation and sensory deprivation that would make any other mammal crazy only makes her a little homesick. So now she has to think of an escape plan, assuming she isn't rescued for the critical information stored in her white furry head.  
The door of the bunker opens and she suddenly understand how vampires feel when exposed to the sun, the radioactive sunlight pierces her eyes like daggers and blind the clear blue irises who were meant for seeing in the night. A camel grabs her arm and drags her away, the orgy of sounds and smells hits her so hard she almost faints, apparently the sensory deprivation isn't as bad when you get used to it, but being reinserted into the outside world can be very painful and overwhelming.  
Unable to see she focuses on the soldiers words, they speak at a normal volume but to her they sound like howling hyenas as their voices pierce her eardrums and start a migraine –"'akhadhu waquat 'iilaa albawwabat alrayiysia"-  
-"Hal tasmah li 'an 'adhhab balfel? Walakun kunt mjrd alhusul ealaa raha."- She retorts smugly, the camel apparently didn't share her sense of humor because soon after the butt of a rifle contacts her skull with tremendous force and her world turns to a welcoming darkness once more.  
She comes to her senses a short while later and finds herself in a military jeep driving through the desert, the cavalry did come to the rescue after all.  
The agent notices her brain is slow in processing the information it receives, the sounds around her seem too loud and confusing. She doesn't know how long she was locked in that bunker but her perception of time must be off, it was probably a lot more than that she thought. It's the only explanation for how weak and disoriented she must have been after getting out of there, because she never saw the blow coming when usually she would have dodged or blocked it with ease and right now she has a lot of trouble forming a coherent thought.  
-"Are you alright? Frost can you hear me?"- A deep male voice asks, she looks at the driver sitting right by her side in utter confusion. Her savior looks at her with a concerned frown.  
-"Are you the one that got me out of the prison camp?"- She asks incredulous  
This is a dream, it has to be, or maybe it's a hallucination caused by the blow. There is no other explanation since the agent that got her out of there was a Zootopian, and a rabbit! Did they actually send a cute fuzzy bunny to extract her from one of the most dangerous prison camps ever created?  
The adorable hare grins proudly –"Yeah, I negotiated an exchange between you and one of their own that my government had stored in Guanfaunamo. If they released you we would give them Jafar Dabae, but they knocked you down before the exchange. They are a short tempered folk agent Frost, I would try to not piss them off you were lucky I got you out"-  
-"I'm a female, a vixen and a spy from and enemy nation, they couldn't hate me any less"- She growls gingerly touching the back of her head where a large bruise is already forming below her thin white fur. Then what the rabbit told her clicks in her head –"Wait are you telling me they exchanged me for the most dangerous terrorist in the whole world? No agency would ever do that!"-  
The hare slouchs sheepish as he floors the accelerator on their vehicle –"Yeah you're right about that, the agency wanted me to get you out on my own and those guys were too many, too crazy and too well armed. So instead of barging in and becoming a bullet deposit I asked for a few favors in the ZIA and they let me do the exchange, but with one little tweak. All prisoners in Guanfaunamo are implanted with a tracker right below their skin, but no one knows that the tracker can also work as a pretty powerful explosive. The idea is that even if those prisoners do escape the Zootopian government can trigger the bomb from a safe distance, so once Jafar enters the camp the device inside of him would blow up, killing him and the Sha's soldiers."-  
-"You are joking right?"- Skye asked eyeing the strange hare while he happily grabs a small device and pushes the button in the middle of it, the roar of an explosion not far behind them was her answer. –"Tell me agent…"- only then she realizes he never told her his name.  
The striped hare shakes her paw gallantly –"Oh forgive my manners, I am agent Jack Savage it is nice to meet you"-  
-"Skye Frost"- She says dryly –"May I ask how are we supposed to escape Furmekistan when the entire Desert Army is going to be looking for us?"-  
-"We'll travel by land, not by the usual roads we know those are highly patrolled, but the Tuareg will hide us between their bags and we'll cross the border to Furan. Once there we'll be taken to Zootopia by plane, and this time it better be a private jet because I am NOT flying in coach ever again"- He says that like crossing the desert for three days hidden in a bag carried by camels were no big deal, but she's been in worse situations.  
It wasn't that bad actually, traveling the desert in a large bag stuck next to a rabbit, at least compared to the prison camp. She is pleasantly surprised at his gentle and friendly demeanor, but then again lagomorphs are supposed to be that way, it's just that intelligence agents are not known for their sweet personalities. All over the world most spies have the same cold and detached behavior, but this hare seems to be genuinely warm and she is glad to notice he's actually quite cuddly and soft to the touch, which is pretty useful when you are stuck next to someone for an extended period of time.  
By the next morning they are resting in the modest camp the nomad tribe settled in, it is near a small city around an ancient oasis. The sunrise sun paints the sand dunes in a kaleidoscope of oranges and gold, some stars still shine in the sky refusing to fade in the light of day.  
The vixen admits the journey was kinda nice, once they were far from the security checks they could exit their bag and walk by the camel's side. The ZIA agent is not that bad either, he took care of her wound as soon as he could and helped her get fed and rehydrated. Normally agent Frost wouldn't accept to be nursed by another mammal, learning for a very young age not to depend on anyone but herself. The problem is that she had come out of her imprisonment much weaker that she thought but had grown used to it, it wasn't until Savage practically started to shove food down her snout that she understood how physically damaged she was. It is embarrassing for her to need his help, but in all fairness he is really kind and doesn't seem to mind helping a fellow agent, it is a mystery how a mammal with such a big heart ended up choosing such a cruel career.  
-"Tell me Savage, why an agent from the ZIA is doing the extraction?"- Skye says staring at the magical landscape as he changes the bandage at the back of her head. His soft pad less paws now gently roam over her back looking for other wounds that might be hidden under her fur, he has found over twenty scars from the tazers on her shoulders alone, the poor vixen must be numbed to pain by now because she doesn't even flinch when the strong antiseptic is swabbed over the red angry marks.  
-"We need your help with a mission in Zootopia, we are supposed to infiltrate the Tundratown mob and then destroy it. My bosses figured it might be a job for the Femme Fatale of Siberia"- he giggles at her nickname while still looking for more scars, it's like her white pristine fur hid a horrid landscape below the silky softness, he told her to let him know if she ever got uncomfortable or felt any pain but she seems immune to either.  
-"I see, so who is my target?"- She says while gently putting her tunic on, to the hare's credit he was such a gentlemammal that she didn't feel shy about exposing her bare torso to him so he could clean her wounds, he was very respectful to her the whole time.  
After reaching a file from his backpack situated at the back of their tent he shows her a picture of Nicholas Wilde, she eyes the image with raised eyebrows, the red fox is actually quite handsome.  
-"I understand that they want me to kill him right away?"- She wonders how long will she have to flirt with the tod, it's a shame she has to kill him; according to the file he is extremely smart and powerful enough to put an ancient crime organization to its knees. He would be a good mate material.  
-"Well first I must get comfy with his wife, then you can kill him"- Savage tells her wiggling his eyebrows.  
-"He's married?!"- Frost says groaning –"Don't your bosses know anything about fox courtships?"- When her coworker shrugs she rolls her eyes and explains –"We as a species mate for life, sure some do break the mold and cheat but those are rare exceptions, when foxes choose their mates they are usually monogamous. There's a big chance he won't even notice me."-  
\- "Wilde doesn't seem to be in love agent Frost, apparently she's just his slave, I'm sure their marriage is a cover"- Jack scowls at the thought of that beautiful helpless doe trapped in that deviate's claws.  
-"What makes you think that?"- She asked cocking her head  
-"She's a bunny"- he gave her another picture with Judy's face.  
-"You're right it is not a true marriage, it is impossible for a fox to have genuine feelings for a mammal of a different species, our pheromones play too big of a part for our mating rituals and bunny's scent could never accomplish that"- Skye's lips twist into a disgusted scowl at the interspecies pairing. –"This is not natural"-  
Jack shrugs –"I agree, but I don't know. Actually I have the phone number of a nice ewe I would like to call when I get back home."-  
When he heard her giggling he poked her shoulder asking what was so funny about it –"A hare and a sheep, you would be the most adorable couple I have ever seen. It's a good thing you could not have kits because your baby would be too cute to handle"-  
-"We don't like being called adorable or cute, it is actually very offensive for us"- He frowns crossing his arms over his chest.  
-"Why? What's wrong about being cute?"- She asks genuinely curious, he can tell she never meant to disrespect him.  
-"It's demeaning, like we were too tiny and frail to do anything other than look cute and act cuddly, mammals underestimate us too much as it is"- He says softly while awkwardly staring at his shuffling feet, now the vixen knows that she has to suppress her urge to point out how adorable he looks when he does that.  
-"I think you see things the wrong way, you are actually a very capable agent and lethal when necessary, being cute will not get in the way with that. In fact your sweetness might be more of an aid than a hindrance if you know how to exploit it, who would suspect of a cute little rabbit?"- She smiles warmly as his mood lightens, a sly cocky grin paints his muzzle.  
-"You know Frost, I never thought about it that way"- He usually hates when other mammals, especially predators, call him cute. But for this particular vixen he might make an exception.  
Chapter 4: Chapter 4  
They would make first contact with their targets on a large gala hosted on the "Hidden Garden", the charity event was just an excuse for the rich and powerful to mingle with the high ranks of the criminal element without much scrutiny, since the mafia runs the city all big business needs to go through it first. They had memorized their cover stories to the detail by now, after several days of studying and training.  
Since their primary goal was to seduce the mobsters both the ZIA and the KGB agents were dressed to impress, the hare wore a smart dark grey suit with a blue silk shirt underneath while the vixen wore a red velvet dress with a large slit in one of the sides and a deep cleavage. Their good looks would be an asset but it would only get them half way, seduction was actually much more complex than just looking good and throwing yourself at the intended target, if you play it too easy they might suspect but if you play too hard they might just lose interest.  
Jack was fixing the last details looking at the mirror while he noticed Skye sauntering pass him on their large and luxurious hotel room. She had needed some TLC after her rescue, since the previous mission had done some pretty extensive damage; Jack had spent a considerable time nursing her wounds after they arrived to Zootopia. She was a little evasive at first but after a few weeks together they realized they got along quite well, he even dared to think of her as a friend.  
Now none of that previous damage was visible anymore as her pristine fur shone in the Savannah dusk light, she walked with a confident gait as her sultry red dress swayed with every step; he shook his head knowing that Wilde didn't stand a chance against her.  
As he gave a small chuckle agent frost asked –"What's so funny?"-  
-"I was just thinking that this is the closest I ever got, as an intelligence agent, to be in a "James Boar" kinda mission. I mean think about it, we're wearing fancy clothing in a five star hotel, then we're gonna ride in a luxury car to a posh party and seduce evil mobsters! You gotta admit it's pretty awesome compared to what our job usually entails. I don't know about you but I spend most of my mission in military gear staring for hours at monitors, or dodging all kinds of enemy fire while covered in grit and filth."- Jack said with the cutest smile on his face and his fluffy small tail shook with excitement. Skye couldn't help to giggle at the adorable sight; the hare must have read her thoughts because his smile turned into an annoyed frown.  
-"I don't know Savage, those movies were mostly cold war propaganda. If this were a James Boar movie I as a Siberian would be the villain, after mating with you because that's what he always does, I would later betray you and then I'll try to kill you in the least practical way imaginable. In the meantime I would have to give you a large monolog detailing my plans and motivation with a bad accent."- The vixen said absent minded while brushing her silky long tail.  
-"The night is still young"- He told her with a sly wink, it was his default mode to flirt with every female even remotely close to him.  
-"You have strange kinks, my little fuzzball. Are you actually asking me to give you a long speech while directing a deadly laser to cut you in half, starting at your crotch?"- She smiled at him, a naughty curb on her lips. Actually this was one of the best missions she had been given too, she was supposed to flirt with a handsome (though with twisted sexual appetites) fox, while working with a friendly and easy going rabbit that she actually liked to spend time with. Skye never knew what friendship was but she guessed her interactions with Savage came pretty close.  
-"I was thinking more about you shooting bullets out of your boobs while I'm suspended above a pool of sharks, but if you want to try the minimalistic approach I'm okay with it"- He quipped while offering his arm to her, both heading to the Astod Martin parked in the lower level of the hotel.  
…..  
Once inside the party they had no trouble finding their targets, both agents weren't surprised to find the mobsters had several security guards scattered around the place passing as guests, but they were impressed to know the guards were in fact very professional and effective. The moment Jack and Skye begun to follow the Wildes with their eyes four wolves, a cheetah and a bunny doe were on to them, aware of their suspicious behavior.  
-"Stay on the sides Savage, let me make the first move."- Skye told the hare through the intercom hidden deep into their ear canals, and he gave her an imperceptible nod as a response, he had to agree. Unlike him she could make an aggressive approach, apparently vixens are the ones supposed to take the lead during the vulpine's mating customs while rabbits usually go for a friendlier and gentler way.  
Music played in the dance hall, the gorgeous vixen merely sauntered to the fox and asked him for a dance while his wife stood right beside him, shocked out of her wits. The fox eagerly took the vixen's paw and both were soon swaying to the music, Jack saw the violet eyed doe blush in anger and thump her feet on the marble floor, this would be easier than he thought.  
Now it was his turn to make the move, playing the suave charmer doesn't always work, females don't drop like flies for every smooth talker like the movies make you think. Every girl has a different type, some like the shy sweet guys, some like the tough confident ones, and the best way to figure which one is right is to play neutral and respectful until you can read her personality.  
-"Hello ma'am"- He said walking next to her and giving the beautiful doe a firm pawshake –"My name is Alexander Longear, it is very nice to meet you"-  
-"Judith Hopps"- She shook his paw back, more focused on her husband's antics on the dance floor than on the buck next to her –"Everyone calls me Judy"-  
He begun to read her posture and mannerisms, the theory that she was Wilde's captive seems to be wrong because Judy looked legitimately jealous of the tod now dancing with Skye, and she certainly didn't act like a damaged slave. She was probably a legitimate boss just like her husband, given the way the other mobsters looked at her, all of them showing genuine respect.  
-"I was wondering if we could discuss some business, perhaps in private?"- He asked shyly with a soft voice, a strong female might react poorly to an overconfident male, especially when angry. The timid approach might be more useful now.  
-"There is a more secluded table in the back, I hope you don't mind if one of my associates joins us"- Her flat tone made it clear that was an order not a request, turning around Jack noticed a large timber wolf with an imposing expression right next to him.  
-"O- of c-ourse not"- The hare faked a stutter, he wasn't actually expecting to have a one on one with Hopps so early on the game, so that was fine, in this case he was in it for the long run. He knew that getting to Judy would take some time but judging by the way those foxes moved on the dance floor, he could bet three months of his salary that Skye would be having a private romp with Nicholas by the end of the night. That would be even better for his mission; he could be the shoulder to cry on when Judy's husband cheats on her. And who knows, maybe Skye doesn't need to kill him, maybe they can just lay back and let the scorned bunny do the dirty work for them.  
They sat on the secluded table, Lobato between them like a threatening chaperone.  
Jack thought it would be best to get to the point and not delay the issue further, the more time passed the angrier the doe would be –"I'm into the high class real estate business, and I want to make a very large architecture development in the middle of the Savannah district. Unfortunately the best location for it is occupied by a small flower store. Now I am more than willing to pay its owner a very fair price for the property so I can tear it down and build my condo, but before I made the offer my associates found out that the owner actually works for your family, so I thought it would be best to speak to you first"-  
-"If you are talking about Mr. Otterton's flower shop I'm afraid I can't help you there, Emmit is a good friend of the family and he has only managed to open his store a few months ago. We could never ask him to leave and I'm sure he would not give it up, no matter how much money you are willing to pay. Not everything can be solved by throwing money at it Mr. Longear, that poor otter has been dreaming about that flower shop for years, it would break his heart to lose his store just after getting it"- Judy told him in a polite way but not even bothering to hide the coldness below her voice, she was clearly ready to finish their conversation so Jack redoubled on his cover story.  
He hated pulling the "cute sensitive rabbit" act but he couldn't argue that it was pretty effective sometimes, even on other lagomorphs. His eyes went wider and bigger with a hint of moisture in them that made them shine, his tiny nose twitched ever so slightly. He prayed Skye didn't saw him like this or he would never hear the end of it. -"Maybe we can reach a compromise, instead of just buying his property I could negotiate and exchange for one of the apartments on the ground floor, that way he could keep his business in the same spot. I'm pretty sure that a flower shop right at the base of a fancy tower would do good for his sales"-  
Judy looked at him with a hint of admiration and empathy, her paw rested on her chest, her ears drooped and she had an equally adorable expression on her face –"Would you be willing to do that?"-  
-"Sure you have my word"- He said finally relaxing, she was beginning to take the bait.  
-"That's good Mr. Longear, because our family gives a big significance to a mammal's word"- She smiled, easily dropping her previous adorable expression, but he didn't lose the subtle menace in her eyes. He had to admit she was smart, direct and a little dangerous, just his type.  
-"If you don't mind, I would like to order a bottle of champagne to celebrate our new business deal."- He said already signaling the waiter, within minutes a crisp bottle of Don Pawrignon was on their table. They managed to have a pleasant chat about non consequential things in spite of him being a spy posing as a mogul and she being a mobster, both of them actually managed to have fun and even Lobato joined their conversation after a while. Jack noticed that the wolf held a deep respect for the doe and she had given him a kind treatment as well, that was not good for his plans, this mafia seems to be held together by true camaraderie which means the agency might have a tough time bringing it down.  
He still kept things professional, not even bothering to flirt until Skye worked her allure on the red fox, but there was no harm in being friendly and as charming as possible, it did help matters that she was actually a down to earth doe and easy going. He was somehow sure than under different circumstances they might have dated for real.  
In the meantime Nick was sliding on the dance floor with one of the most gorgeous vixens he ever met; the fellow vulpine shared the same grace in her movements than him, since it was common on their race to be elegant on their ways.  
Arctic foxes are smaller than red ones; while she was taller than his wife he still had several more inches in height than her, her white fur seemed too soft to be real and her light blue eyes held a stunning contrast with the dark skin that framed them along with her black nose. His left paw rested comfortably on her lower waist, the right one holding her at shoulder length, their muzzles at a hairs width from touching.  
To any other mammal they seemed to be flirting, even love struck, but their coquettish behavior had more to do with the way foxes usually acted than real attraction.  
It didn't matter how gracious they were to each other and how sly their one liners sounded, to canides in general real emotions are broadcasted by smell, and he was clearly mated. She could smell in his pheromones that he wasn't really interested in her, and by the way he kept stealing glances at the dark corner where his wife was talking to agent Savage, he was clearly turning more territorial as time passed.  
Skye dared to take a look to see what was making Wilde so angry and she noticed the adorable couple having an obviously pleasant time, they did nothing even remotely indecorous but there was a clear chemistry between them. This mission would not work out, she was supposed to steal the fox's attention so the handsome hare could make a more cautious move towards his own target, but instead their strategy is only stirring the mobster's jealousy and even when Jack hadn't made anything overtly flirtatious yet the red fox was about to pounce over the rabbit.  
-"I see your wife is getting along with my business partner"- Skye purred, giving up on stealing the fox's heart and instead just trying to stop Nicholas to tear the hare apart.  
-"A bit too much for my liking"- He growled  
-"That is unfair Mr. Wilde, they are only talking. Isn't it one of your own guards right with them?"- She hoped to defuse the situation before it escalated out of control. She could see his pupils dilating and his fur standing on edge  
-"Sometimes I think there is something wrong with the love me and Judy have, after all thousands of years ago my kind used to hunt them down and gobble them up. While today civilization has removed that necessity from us we still have an inner instinct when it comes to those fluffs, but now instead of eating them we crave to hunt them down and posses them, our need to kill was replaced with our desire to mate. So when another mammal comes close to our prays and even thinks for a second that they can take it away from us we kinda want to do some hunting like the good old days."-  
His voice went from feral to melancholic in a blink of an eye. -"Be careful Miss Storm, assuming that's your real name, once you go down the rabbit hole jealousy will be only one of your many problems. But if you ask me, I believe it's still worth it"- His shoulder tensed and his eyes turned dangerous as malice floods them  
-"I don't know what you're talking about"- The vixen said appalled  
-"I smell him on you sweetheart, and the spike in your fear whenever I talk about chomping down that little rabbit, until I can clean the extra cotton from my fangs with a toothpick."- Nick knew those two were up to something, he thought that the best way to seize her up was to threat the hare and analyze her reactions.  
-"That is ridiculous! I am not a sexual deviant like you I do not date outside my species!"- She didn't even bother to keep her cover anymore, it was useless anyway. How dare he imply such a preposterous thing?  
-"Then you won't mind when I make my comrades go old school on your love bun and tear his lucky feet from his legs, using just their claws"- Nick whispered into her flickering white ear, while he was actually jealous he exaggerated on his aggressiveness to see how the vixen would react, he was just playing with her.  
Now it was the vixen's turn to growl –"leave my rabbit alone"- She did realize she used the word mine when talking about a fellow agent of a completely different species, but now wasn't the time to ponder on those issues, later on she would freak out about her own epiphany. At that moment every fiber in her being wanted to protect Jack from that horrible fox.  
-"Let's make a deal snowflake, get YOUR bunny away from MY bunny before I turn him into tonight's special on the restaurant's menu"- Nick was rewarded by his strategy and managed to get sensible information about the suspicious vixen, that rabbit could be used as a pawn against her.  
Before Skye could show Nick not to mess with a protective vixen loud shots of gunfire flooded the room. Three black bears and a raccoon barged right into the hall carrying large weapons and shooting every mammal they laid eyes on. Bodies begun to pile up within minutes, both foxes quickly scrambled out of the way before they too were killed.  
…  
Unaware of the vulpines confrontation both lagomorphs were laughing at Lobato's jokes, that guy could be a great comedian sometimes, the champagne did wonders with relaxing all of them.  
The crackle of gunfire interrupted the pleasant conversation as several bullets collided mere inches from them, Lobato the faithful bodyguard threw himself in front of Judy, saving her life and getting shot several times for his troubles.  
-"Damian are you okay?"- The panicked doe asked to the groaning wolf  
-"I have a Kevlar vest below my suit ma'am, as you both ordered"- The wolf whispered through the pain of his cracked ribs, because of his bosses caution he was still alive but the pain of being impacted by several pieces of led was too much to bear, plus the impacts left him with many internal injuries. Eventually he lost consciousness.  
-"Miss Hopps, I doubt you're carrying a Kevlar vest of you own under your cocktail dress"- Jack said looking at her lovely green silk dress while tipping the large table they were dining on to help them get a bit more cover. –"I'll take you to a safer place, please stay behind me"- He said removing the large gun from the wolf's holster, it was too heavy for a rabbit to operate comfortably but he would have to make do. If only he could have brought one of his guns with him, but he couldn't risk getting his cover blown.  
-"I'm not leaving my comrade behind!"- The ferocious bunny growled  
Taking a deep breath the agent tried to reason with the doe, without her cooperation they would never get out of this place alive, he could still hear a cacophony of gunshots not far from their location. –"He is wounded but alive, and while serious I'm pretty sure his injuries are not life threatening. Judging by the way those bullets hit I believe you are their target, if we don't move now more bullets will come this way and all three of us will die"-  
With and angry frown Judy thought about his reasons and gave him a grim nod –"Lead the way"-  
-"Where is the nearest exit?"- He asked careful not to raise his voice too much  
-"To the left, a few feet away. If the attackers are smart they might cover the emergency exits but I know a hidden trapdoor, it's right below that red carpet over there"- her paw trembled as she pointed in the carpet's direction but her voice remained steady.  
Peering over the edge of the table Jack saw a black bear aiming a machine gun in their direction, the rabbit had trouble understanding what he saw. He could swear he saw the guard mobsters close to him firing several rounds at his large frame, he actually saw the bullets leave holes on the bear's flesh while blood poured from them but the maniac didn't seem to be fazed by that in the slightest, it's like he were actually immune to the shots.  
-"The supreme state of Happytown sends its kindest regards Motherfuckers!"- The bear laughed like a maniac while swinging the machine gun from one side to the other, making sure to leave bullet holes all over the salon and killing as many mammals as possible, civilians and criminals alike. Behind him a raccoon climbed over the bear's back and sat on his shoulders, he was swinging a round object over his head and then dropped it right in the middle of the now blood soaked ballroom floor.  
Jack ducked at first fearing it might be a bomb, but when it didn't go off he peered over the edge of the turned table for a better look, it wasn't a bomb it was the severed head of an elk.  
-"Kristoff!"- Judy sighed after recognizing its face. It shouldn't have been a surprise, he made a poor management of the nocturnal district and Happytown was the most dangerous slum located in there, if trouble ever came up it would always be from that neighborhood.  
When the bear looked away for a quick ammo reload the agent took his chance and dragged Judy towards the rug, she quickly opened the trap door and led him below, the whole led right into the VIP room of the Down low.  
Judy quickly made a plan in her head. As soon as she got out of there she would gather all her troops and strike the restaurant. The doe had to fight the urge to go to the club alone with guns blazing to save her fox, but those guys up there were crazy and she dared to think that if they killed him already… someone had to remain alive to seek vengeance. The mere prospect of losing her husband to those psychos filled her with so much hatred she practically felt her once kind hart turn into cold stone.  
Jack grunted in frustration, less than two hours into his mission his cover was blown, Judy was not an idiot and she knew no real estate mogul had the weapons training he expressed during the massacre.  
The agent tried to contact his partner through the intercom to see if she was alright, but all he heard was static. Dread was gnawing at his mind with every passing second, he kept repeating her name over and over, then he heard the distant ruffle of grunting and a few seconds after the angry sound of a screaming male fox –"Where is my wife?! You were with her when the shots started!"-  
Flinching from the loud screaming poured right into his sensitive ears, the hare removed the ear piece and put it next to Judy –"I'm here Nick, are you all right?"- The doe's voice cracked from the raw emotion, she was crying from relief.  
As soon as she spoke he bluntly removed the devise from her paw and then put it back on –"I have kept her safe mister Wilde, but I must now ask what has happened to my partner?"-  
-"I'm fine Savage, I managed to drag Mr. Wilde outside the club, where are you?"- Skye's voice sounded annoyed but nothing seemed to be wrong with her  
-"According to the large sign above us we're in a place called "The down low"-  
…..  
Once Jack and Judy got outside, a large army of the Savannah mob was already storming inside the restaurant, the agent couldn't even locate his partner before he was captured and apprehended by three large wolves. Judy commanded her comrades –"Keep an eye on him and the vixen, but don't be too rough on them just yet, they did help us back there"-  
He was unceremoniously thrown into a large limo, Skye was already inside waiting for him, a beaver and a bunny buck kept their guns trained on the duo the whole time. Even with the car windows rolled up Jack's sensitive hearing caught Wilde's angry rant not far from there.  
-"Those fuckers were on Russian roulette, but instead of getting poisoned like Porkton they got the high they wanted and turned almost savage. It took fifteen of our comrades to bring the four of them down and they already looked like Swiss cheese by then, but they still kept firing!"-  
-"What do we do now Nick?"- Judy asked still with a quivering voice, out of the corner of his eye Jack saw she was holding her husband tight while his tail curled around her petite form.  
-"The nocturnal district has been taken over by these nutjobs, they attacked us because we were in their turf, now we have to act and claim this territory as well or we'll be seen as weak"- The fox doesn't seem happy at the plan he just proposed.  
-"Can't we ask for Kevin or Raymond for help? If we take over the nocturnal they'll think we're after the leadership of the family"- Her voice was soft and soothing, as if she was trying to calm her husband down before he did something he might regret.  
-"Sorry carrots, they stormed this place because they knew we would be here, that's a direct affront to us. If we don't act now both our comrades and the other turfs will try to bring us down, we'll be the weakest link, and you know what happens to those"- He sounds more rational now but still determined.  
-"Yeah I know, their heads end up tossed in the middle of a restaurant"- She responded dryly  
Jack heard her voice turn strong and stern as she commanded her orders –"Sam! Get the second wave over here so they can handle the police, make sure they don't break our truce. In the meantime see that the surviving civilians are hospitalized and our comrades are taken to Cliffside"-  
Then the fox growled his own orders –"Garraza! Until Lobato is healed you take his place. I want the nocturnals who sympathized with us armed and ready, we are tearing down Happytown to the fucking ground!"-  
Chapter 5: Chapter 5  
It was time once again for Judy to push her usual kindness away and embrace the violence her new life demanded out of both her and her husband. Kristoff had made a huge mistake and paid for it with his own life, now it was up to the Savannah bosses to clean up this mess.  
Nick actually had ulterior motives for the upcoming attack, he had another big statement to give, those jerks had tried to kill his wife and it was time to let all Zootopia know that nobody targets his bunny and gets away with it. He was growing more frustrated and territorial with each passing day, his own hormones and instincts were playing against him while he entered in heat and his stressful job was driving him insane.  
As they rode towards his destination the couple stayed in silence during the whole limo ride, both coordinating the details of the takeover with their respective seconds in command. Before they knew it the car arrived to the tunnels that border the Nocturnal with the Savannah, so the fox and bunny had little time to polish their upcoming course of action.  
Garraza was already waiting for them with several mammals standing behind, the cheetah's tail lashed in apprehension and excitement. The duo recognized a few of them from their own family, mostly beavers and wolves from the middle of the chain of command that followed their comrade, behind them a large group of bats, moles and foxes stood hesitant.  
Nick knew the reason why Garraza looked so smug, with Lobato out of the way he saw it as a chance to move up the ranks, in a big hostile takeover like this he might have the opportunity he desperately waited for to prove himself. If Nick's trusted wolf didn't make it out of the hospital in fully working condition he feared the position would have to be given to someone else. Of course Damian would never be abandoned, he could easily land a good spot on the second wave, but his hopes of climbing the ranks would be destroyed and behind him there were many capable mammals willing to fill that position.  
Because in the upcoming fight, the decisive factor was ambition.  
The fox knew that the best weapon in the underworld was greed, he saw it twinkling in the eyes of every nocturnal mammal standing in front of him. Greed was an asset he could exploit even more than the money it pursued. He would use their hunger for power to achieve his own goals, it was easy to remember how his original boss had often maneuvered the minefield of the crime world riding only on his ability to manipulate others, if Mr. Big were still alive he would be so proud of the strategy.  
After clearing his throat Nick addressed his future employees. -"Very well ladies and gentlemammals, as you know the whole Nocturnal is about to change paws and a few leadership positions are gonna be available. So to those who are making the wise choice of joining us early I have a big prize to give you, bring me the heads of the gang leaders that are against our family and I will give you a territory to rule over in Happytown at ten blocks per head, the more heads you give us the bigger your turf. Now of course you will still respond to the new Boss of this district, Garraza"- he said addressing to the feline –"Make sure everything runs smoothly and that one will be you"-  
The glint of joy in the cheetah's eyes was unmistakable and his posse already salivated at the prospect of power. The same ambition and malice irradiated from the nocturnals behind them.  
A very large black van parked near the whole group, four bunnies and two tigers got out of it and begun giving away large weapons and Kevlar vests to the trigger happy crew, while the Savannah bosses got inside the vehicle to change their formal attire into something more suitable for a violent invasion. Minutes later the married couple came out in their black assault gear.  
Once all of them were ready the nocturnals practically hummed with excitement at the upcoming massacre and the opportunities that lie ahead of them, they could taste their growing domain already. But Judy knew what they were thinking and soon was putting a stop on their vicious train of thoughts, letting those gangsters run free packed with weapons could mean a lot of stray bullets and a lot of honest mammals would get killed in the crossfire.  
-"Here is the thing though, when you go on your rampage you will be wearing small cameras on your bulletproof vests"- She said pointing to the inconspicuous round lenses hidden right in the middle of the black jackets –"you can kill as many gangsters as you want but your cameras will be monitored by the second wave crew. If you kill one innocent citizen, if you hurt one child, you better run away from Zootopia because you will be our enemy as well."- The way her voice authoritatively boomed into the cold night and right onto the group's soul reminded Nick of Chief Bogo.  
-"Happy hunting fellas, I expect the heads to be at the front gates of the Tundratown manor in exactly twenty four hours"- Nick's casual stance somehow seemed even more imposing than Judy's stern orders.  
After the group dispersed the mobsters awaited for their own warriors, it was up to them to kill all the members of the nocturnal mafia that were still loyal to Kristoff and opposed the Savannah. Ten minutes later five more vans parked around them with at least forty members of the first wave, armed to the fangs and carrying a lot of firepower  
About eighty percent of the nocturnals were happy to get rid of the useless elk, but there were a few of them in the high ranks who really were faithful to him. They made their bet on Kevin or Raymond, expecting that either of them would be chosen as leaders of the whole mafia. This hostile takeover would obviously mean the Savannah would try to seize power by force, so when the more powerful and experienced bears charged against the fox and the bunny those guys wanted to be on Kevin or Raymond's good graces. Yet while the mobsters in the higher ranks were plotting about the upcoming boss, the poorer members of the mafia only wanted the respect and camaraderie the Savannah counterparts liked to brag about, so they quickly switched sides.  
The armed vehicles rode to the crystal caves, a fancy neighborhood located at the centre of the underground district. They parked close to a large two store house that could pass for a small manor, the place where Kristoff used to live, now as the mobsters approached the property they were greeted by a storm of bullets.  
Several other elks, bats and bears were shooting at them from the front windows in the manor. The entrances that weren't used to attack the Savannah mob were sealed shut by thick iron curtains.  
The nocturnal mobsters attacking the duo were fewer but much better armed, a fact stated by the large impact a bazooka left right next to them. There were plenty of mammals from the Savannah returning the fire so the numbers were on their side, the firepower… not so much.  
The Savannah's best snipers were located around the manor, the ground crew was shooting behind the bulletproof vans, and eventually their superior number would prevail. But the problem with attacking a fortified manor is that it's much similar to attacking an actual fort, it's a long grueling process and even when the surrounded mammals are bound to lose; it can be exhausting and ammo draining for the attackers.  
Judy knew that time was another factor that ran against them; it was likely that both polar bears would find out about their antics and would soon retaliate. They could overpower the small group of nocturnals but they had to do it fast before both the Sahara and Rainforest brought their own cavalry into the shootout, because if not they would be dead once the much larger armies came to the manor's defense.  
Judy doubted a truce could be salvaged from this disaster but she guessed there was no harm in being optimistic. Time dragged on and the situation begun to look hopeless, this siege was taking too long, she knew they needed to finish this whole issue fast and hard. Then an idea struck her, one of the impulsive kinds that usually bring more trouble and damage than good, but desperate times call for bunfuck crazy measures.  
-"We need to get inside the manor and finish those fuckers off"- She heard Nick say through their intercom  
-"No Nick! Stay back, all of you!"- Judy yelled –"I have an idea"- her devilish smile could be heard through the device.  
-"Carrots I'm kinda afraid to ask, what that idea of yours is?"- His ears stuck to his head and his face grew apprehensive.  
-"Guys you'll have to trust me, stay away from the manor and try to distract them, I'll be right back"- She sprinted far from the shootout and called her sister –"Sam I need you to contact our weapons supplier and put Mouser on the line"- The face of the other gray doe was quickly replaced on the phone screen by a burly mouse with a permanent scowl on his face.  
Michael Mouser was the most cunning and brutal bomber in the entire city, several large mammals had learned not to anger the tiny rodent the hard way, only a few have managed to survive and tell others about it.  
He had worked with the prey supremacist groups but quickly switched sides when the mob tore it down. The mouse claimed he didn't care about the group's ideology, he just joined them because; in his own words "He liked to blow shit up". Back then the mafia reached the wise conclusion that it was better to have the pyromaniac on their side and not as an enemy.  
–"What is it boss?"- The bomber grunted.  
-"Sam will give you a package and I need you to infiltrate into Kristoff's manor to deliver it, come as fast as you can"- Judy kept her voice steady in spite of her apprehension, she really needed this to work out or they would all be dead.  
-"How big is the package?"- The mouse said with an eager grin, he wasn't actually asking about the size of the bomb since he was pretty small and could only carry so much weight, what he actually wanted to know is how big the explosion would be.  
-"Enough to turn a fortified manor into rubble, but our guys are close it cannot hurt them. I want you to talk to the supplier and see what you can do"- She said worried, the bomber liked to go overboard sometimes and in this case that could be very damaging for her comrades.  
-"I get it, you don't want and actual explosion, you want to implode the place. I'll be there in a jiffy"- Michael said winking at her.  
After she hung up she heard Nick's exasperated voice over the intercom.-"Carrots we are wasting too much ammo whatever you're planning to do, do it now!"-  
-"I need you guys to hold on for a few more minutes, can you pull that off?"- Judy said worried.  
-"Yeah I'll think of something"- He grumbled, then ordered his comrades to space out the shootings and aim more for accuracy than blunt force. When the trapped nocturnals got cocky enough to try to leave the manor the sly fox made one of the weasels working for him to drive one of their vans right at the gate and slink away at the last minute. The gasolines inside the vehicle exploded spectacularly, but the fire combusted too fast and not hot enough to leave severe damage; so it only served as a distraction.  
-"All right guys clear the area NOW!"- Judy's commanding shout sounded like orders from a military leader to her faithful troop. The Savannah mobsters wasted no time following their orders, those with acute hearing noticed the sounds of several approaching vehicles coming their way, they made it just in time before the Rainforest and Savannah cavalry arrived.  
The manor's foundations blew up, its cement turned into grey dust, and the whole structure collapsed over the remains of Kistoff's crew.  
The black van sped on the dark deserted street as fast as its engine allowed, carrying the heavy weight of several mammals and their weapons.  
-"Are they chasing us?"- Judy asked unable to calm her twitching nose  
Nick looked at the rearview mirror of the now very cramped vehicle, since one of their vans had been sacrificed mere minutes ago and the extra mammals had to fight for space in only one of them. All he saw past the back windshield was a dark empty road –"Nah carrots, we're clear"- he said relaxing a little  
-"Are you sure?"- The bunny had trouble believing the rival mobsters would just give up on their chase.  
-"Yeah fluff, they came here to pretend they were helping out but had no intention to actually stop us. Remember that Kevin and Raymond are fighting to see who would be the next boss and we just got rid of the competition for them. Besides Kristoff's crew was even more useless than him"- The fox's brain was already scheming a new plan, even when he already had several hidden cards on his sleeve.  
-"But are they still coming to get us?"- She already knew the answer but wasn't ready to give up hope on a peaceful outcome.  
-"Of course they will, our only chance is to ask Koslov for shelter since he's still kinda neutral and then we'll try to explain ourselves. If we are really lucky he might help us negotiate so they don't kill us"-  
…  
Once back on their manor they requested an urgent meeting with the current leader of Tundratown, by being frontal about their intentions from the beginning they might escape the accusations of treason, that was of utmost importance because traitors are NOT well treated within the mafia. For almost an hour the bear listened to their plight with careful consideration, only after both bosses of the Savannah stopped talking did he give his verdict.  
-"Your only chance is to choose between Kevin or Raymond. Give both the Savannah and the Nocturnal to him in exchange for his protection; whichever you choose will then rule three out of five districts so the other one will have to give up his claim. But be careful, remember that they share more trust with each other than to you"- Koslov told them solemn, a bitter sigh condensed a small cloud on his lips as he gave a melancholic stare at the large painting of Mr. Big behind him.  
-"We choose Raymond"- Nick said flatly, at Judy's inquisitive stare he elaborated –"He's the only boss that rules his turf without any issue; we both know Kevin has had some trouble with the Sahara. Let's face it fluff, that guy is the strongest"- He looked as his wife knowing she hated how he took such an important decision without consulting her, but after mulling the idea she had to admit he had a point so she nodded as well.  
With a sharp nod the polar bear told them -"Very well, I will call a meeting to both of them for tomorrow morning, until then I give you my word you and your family will be safe"-  
…..  
Back in their luxurious bedroom it dawned on them that they only had one night of guaranteed peace, they had no way of knowing if their proposal would be taken or if they would be killed for their betrayal. So if only a night they had, better make the most out of it.  
The fox wasted no time grabbing his mate and throwing her on the bed, his slim long body quickly roamed over hers. But for the first time since they met, all she gave him was a cold stare and the grumbled response of "not being in the mood". Whether it was during their angry thrusts blowing off steam, when he took all his frustrations on her soft form, to the first time he saw her half naked and terrified in the Down Low. She had never, EVER told him no.  
-"Carrots what is it?"- He said panicking, he never felt more rejected in his whole life.  
-"I'm not gonna let you get your rocks off and use ME while thinking about HER"- She said pouting and burrowed below the sheets  
-"Her? Who's her? I don't know what the hell are you talking about"- He said exasperated removing the covers from her face, wondering if his wife had lost her mind  
-"The VIXEN Nicholas! The one you were groping tonight on the dance floor"- The powerful mafia boss doe was pouting and whining like a little kit –"You didn't even bother to hide it! Don't you dare saying you had no interest in her, if those guys from Happytown hadn't broke in you two would be doing the horizontal mambo by know"-  
The fox laughed as hard as his lungs allowed, was his little bunny actually jealous? She was always cute, but the way she pouted all snuggled below the covers, big purple eyes watery and droopy ears flopping over her face made her so adorable he had no choice but to snap a picture of her to keep as blackmail material.  
-"It's the tail isn't it? Hers is so long and silky, mine is just a fuzzy little stump"- She muttered miserably while her husband's laughter died off.  
-"Look carrots you know I'm crazy about that cottontail of yours, nobody is allowed to insult it in my presence, not even you"- In spite of his playful tone he sobered up and was actually serious about it –"Look it's kinda hard to explain but I wasn't actually flirting with Miss Storm, the way we acted is kinda part of fox culture, it means nothing."- His wife gave him a "you're not fooling me" look before burrowing deeper below the covers so he took a deep breath and elaborated.  
–"When a vixen flirts with a tod he has to flirt back, otherwise he would send her the message that he finds her so undesirable he doesn't even want to waste time on her, what I'm trying to say is that not flirting is actually considered an insult. But when a tod actually wants to get in a relationship he will use his pheromones to signal both her and other males around that he has chosen a mate, he marks her"-  
Judy blushed at the many times her fox has possessively marked her entire frame, she could tell by his body language that he wanted to do that right now.  
Nick gave her an affectionate lick on her puffy cheeks before continuing –"Besides I think she wasn't into me either, looks like we both have the same tastes after all."-  
At her questioning stare he whispered the answer on her long sensitive ears –"She was imprinting on the rabbit you were getting chummy with"- the ghost of an accusatory glare on his green eyes.  
-"Says the fox that was groping a vixen a few hours ago"- She grumbled swatting his arm with force, but when he once again crawled on top of her and his sharp teeth nibbled on the delicate skin of her neck, she didn't push him away. They removed their clothes with practiced ease, so efficiently after months of rushing in their lovemaking that they could be naked in a blink of an eye.  
Judy could tell her husband was worried, she could feel it in the extra tension of his muscles and the way his tail frizzled making it look twice its size. –"Nick what is it?"- she asked gently, maybe it was time to talk and figure out a way out of their problems than to rut like the honeymooners they were supposed to be.  
His warm rough tongue barged its way into her sensitive intimate folds and all thoughts about talking went out of the window, she had been reduced to a gasping and mewling puddle almost right away. His claws gently scraped her tail, proving that he did love that fluffy little cotton spot.  
He liked to have her like this, to reduce the confident and effective dynamo to a helpless creature incapable of coherent thought much less language. To have her as the way nature made her, fertile, amorous and defenseless.  
He lifted his gaze from the comfort of her soft thighs to admire the fruits of his labor, she was panting with her legs spread exposing herself fully to him, skin so warm and flushed that made her nose and ears look deep red. The only way she could command him to take her was a soft moan and a glazed look on her luminous eyes, he obliged anyway.  
She knew what he wanted, he wanted to be enveloped in her soft arms and comforted from the thousand thoughts and dreads lurking on his mind. He wanted to be told everything would be all right, to focus on the warm affection only her sex could envelope him in.  
-"Take me baby, do it as hard as you can. I'm yours"- She whispered softly on his ear, her small tongue licked his whole face, grooming him. A slow whimper was heard from the fox at the sheer joy of hearing those words, his thrusts became deeper and a little faster but not exactly rough. She moaned louder as he pounded her hidden pleasure spots with the expertise only a long passionate relationship could provide, only he could make her scream in ecstasy and loose all her self control, only he could see the careless free spirited side of Judith Hopps.  
The climax wasn't coordinated, she came much sooner than him, but it was no problem to ride along until he came as well. Once they were knotted he told her between pants –"I love you"-  
Morning hadn't come just yet, looking at his watch Nick groaned, he was too comfortable snuggled next to his wife and the world around their bed felt much colder than usual, the Tundratown climate was not to blame. But life goes on and his recent scheme needed to begin.  
-"Carrots wake up"- He shook her shoulders gently  
-"Is is morning already?"- She said sleepy  
-"No but I arranged a private meeting with Sam before we meet the other bosses and give away our turfs, it's kinda of an insurance or a plan B."-  
-"Why didn't you tell me sooner"- Judy grumbled while hastily putting her clothes back on  
-"I didn't wanna ruin the mood, and I really wanted to tap that booty of yours before getting to business"- He said with a sly grin, gentle knocking sounded from their door and the vulpine rushed to open it. Samantha strode in with a dead serious expression and after a few courtesies and updates she wasted no time in explaining what Nick had asked her to do.  
Judy heard of the scheme Nick had made with an angry frown –"First of all, I know this is a dangerous occupation but you are getting extremely paranoid. And second, I refuse to follow up on this, seriously Nick I won't do it"-  
-"If you're so sure he's being paranoid then what's the problem? If nothing happens on the meeting there would be no harm"- Sam asked gently, both her and Nick knew her sister would hate the idea and some serious convincing was necessary if they wanted their plan to succeed.  
-"It's the principle of it! I refuse to use you as a decoy for our possible enemies to kill, my life isn't worth more than yours. Nick I can't believe you would be so cynical to come up with something like this"- She eyed him disdainfully  
-"Think about it Judy, if Kevin and Raymond are honorable we'll give away our turfs in exchange for our lives and maybe the chance to run it in Ray's name. Sam is very similar to you and they wouldn't notice the difference, everything would turn out fine! But if those guys don't play fair at least you will be alive and able to keep their paws away from our family"- He said in the submissive gentle tone he used to con mammals many years ago, even when Judy knew it was a façade she couldn't help falling for it. –"If they choose to kill us anyway at least you will be safe, and you'll be able to take action from the outside"-  
…  
All the current bosses of the largest mafia to ever rule Zootopia stood at the cold office where Mr. Big had often iced his enemies. When the bunny and the fox explained to Raymond they would give him their hard earned turf in exchange for peace he agreed, and made the promise to Nick he would let him rule the Savannah under him.  
Kevin wasn't happy about the outcome but at least he had to follow someone he could respect, yet before he gave up on his claim the disgruntled white bear felt there were a few issues to deal with, so he removed a knife from below his jacket and gave it to Nick.  
-"Raymond will probably name me his second in command, am I right?"- Kevin stared at his comrade and lifelong friend who nodded solemn.  
-"It is because of your wife that I had lost the respect from my henchmammals. I'm sorry, but the only way I can assert the power in my new place and make sure no one ever questions it is that the bunny that shamed me dies. It is only a business decision, I have no hard feelings for you"- He told the doe coldly, Nick placed himself in front of the trembling bunny in a protective stance.  
-"So that's it? You'll kill Judy so you can ensure your place on top of the food chain?"- The fox said outraged  
-"No you will kill her so your place can be settled. Kill your wife, make it painless and fast, and both of us will rule the city below the leader you have chosen yourself."- Kevin smirked at the angry fox, he also knew the power of Greed. Greed had always been a powerful motivation, making it way too easy to turn against those who love you, what the bears offered was a prospect of power and wealth against the life of a small rabbit.  
-"This is not an appropriate way to deal with a fellow leader"- Koslov told Raymond –"Do you agree on this?"-  
Raymond grumbled but nodded in Kevin's direction –"I do not like it, but it has to be done. Today, under my rule, we begin a new era. We have to get rid of our petty issues before moving forward, Nick has to prove his loyalty to the family and that he won't let his feelings get in the way of our business"-  
-"And if I don't want to?"- He would tear his own pelt with a rusty blade before he hurt the bunny next to him.  
-"Then I kill you both right now, she will die either way. Choose Nicholas, your family or your wife"- Raymond told him, he was in on it with Kevin. They had come with an olive branch to him and he still took violent actions against them, some leader he turned up to be.  
Koslov growled louder this time, placing himself in front of the smaller mammals –"This is not honorable; they came with a fair offer!"-  
Raymond spat at the large bear –"Stay out of this! We're talking business. I am the leader now you cannot question me anymore, now bow down and show respect!"- Ten minutes as the leader or the whole mafia and the title had already gotten to his head.  
For the next hour the fox tried to reason his way out of it using all the skills in negotiation he collected for two decades, as time went on he even ended up stomping his pride begging on his knees for Kevin and Raymond to spare her life, in the meantime the scared doe hid behind him trembling with fear.  
And then Gazelle sang.  
"Oh oh oh oh oooh, try everything!" the obnoxious pop song rang in the cold tense room; the bunny looked at her ringing phone and took the call, leaving the pretense of fear –"Hey Judes, did you just hear what Kevin told Nick?"-  
-"Yep every word"- Judy's cheerful voice sang from the device  
At the shocked expression of all the three polar bears the fox snickered and dropped his scared and desperate act, his pride was a small price to pay in order to distract them –"Guys did you actually think I would bring Judy to this meeting? I knew you had it against her Kevin, for a long time! I knew you might try to pull off something like this, so I made her sister come in her place. They're like two drops of water dontcha' think? Well I didn't really saw it coming, I thought you might just kill us both not try to mindfuck me into killing her, that's sick."- The sly fox shook his head in disapproval, then a smug smile plastered his muzzle as he explained -"While you guys were trying to make me kill my bunny, Judy has been coordinating an attack on the Sahara, and judging by the happy way she sounds I'm guessing she succeeded. Right Carrots?"- He chuckled while looking at his wife smiling on the cellphone screen.  
-"Oh yeah that one was fun! Sorry Kevin but your crew likes me more than you so they belong to me now"- She mocked him feigning sympathy.  
For weeks Nick had made a few arrangements in the Sahara on Judy's name, little by little he used his contacts on the lower platforms (his friend Finnick had been extremely useful) to set everything up for a riot within that district, leaving everything like a row of dominoes waiting for a little tap to tumble down.  
When it was time, all she had to do was show up with her most experienced warriors from the Savannah and Nocturnal into the Sahara's HQ with the proposition to either join her or be killed. Half the turf right there didn't doubt to follow her, since they had always looked up to the brave bunny that killed the nefarious Ke'elan . The rest of the Saharans made the math and realized that while they did like Kevin, he wasn't worth dying for. The few that stayed faithful were promptly killed by their fellow comrades as a sign of loyalty, the few casualties happened without the Savannah crew needing to lift a paw or stain their clothing with blood. It might have been a technically violent invasion but it was short lived.  
In less than an hour the Savannah had indexed yet another turf, this one without much bloodshed.  
Nick dropped the antics and turned sober as he looked at Kevin –"Had you've been honorable we wouldn't have attacked, but now that you made clear you want a fellow boss dead she had no choice but to take the turf, am I right Fluff?"- He grinned proudly at his brave wife.  
-"I did like you Raymond, but you know what? I think we'll keep our turfs, thank you very much. And while we're at it we're taking yours, all of it. Three against one, I think that is a lot of leverage, what do you say Nick?"- Her smile was cute and her voice was cheerful but her eyes were pure evil.  
When they realized the slick fox had played both of them Kevin and Raymond lunged at him and Sam but Koslov blocked their paths. -"They offered you a fair trade and you betrayed them, he is right Judy can take over the Sahara. Since they were the only ones that followed our honor code I give them Tundratown, that means four out of five, the family will belong to them."-  
-"How dare you betray us for those tiny furballs!"- Raymond said outraged –"We will kill them now and you won't be able to stop us!"—  
-"Now I wouldn't do that if I were you, remember I have control over four armies! Touch my fox or my sister and by the time I'm done with you, your pelts will be nothing but a comfy rug on my new office"- The determined venom in her voice made the bears shiver while the fox merely begun to feel horny, he found her very sexy when angry.  
-"You have lost Raymond, Kevin."- From her phone Judy admonished both of her new enemies –"As one half of the new leadership of the whole family I sentence you to banishment, you have two hours to leave Zootopia or our wolves will tear you a new one. If you ever put a paw on our city again I will personally make sure that you will be iced, piece by piece."-  
The bears hung their head in defeat, they could kill Wilde as revenge but the doe's rage would be unstoppable and either way she would rule the family. If anything considering how they broke the family code by trying to kill a fellow boss they should accept banishment as a magnanimous sentence.  
…..  
It was depressively familiar for agent Frost and Savage to be tossed into a large bag, again. After the massacre in the Hidden Garden they were supposed to be taken to Cliffside and be held as prisoners, until the mafia could figure out what to do with them. But the hare's acute hearing noticed the mobsters carrying them were talking about a big invasion in several turfs and they couldn't waste too much time dealing with their new prisoners, so they threw the agents into a sports bag seized for an elephant and drove them around.  
The vixen suspected the mobsters would kill them once the limo reached its destination, her sharpened claws easily tore a small hole in the bag where they could escape as soon as they left the car. This could be extremely useful should they be thrown into a river, which is a common practice among mobsters so their victims drown.  
In the meantime Jack used his own tiny claws to pry open their pawcuffs, he had artificially sharpened and strengthen them for years.  
One of the advantages to be huddled close to his partner is that he could whisper into her ears so softly not even a fellow lagomorph could hear him –"As soon as they drop us we jump out and scratch them, all we have is our claws and teeth"-  
-"That is useful for me but I doubt you could do much with that cute little muzzle of yours"- Sky smirked playful, Jack lifted an eyebrow and snapped his front buck teeth millimeters away from her face. He may not have sharp fangs but he was more than able to cause harm with those chompers.  
–"Point taken"- The vixen conceded.  
They felt the bag changing paws and being gently placed into a cold hard surface, the zipper was opened and before the agents could launch their improvised defense they saw several guns pointed at their direction. It wasn't the abundance of firepower directed at them what filled the agents with dread and confusion; it was the fact that the ones holding the guns weren't mobsters but police officers.  
Chapter 6: Chapter 6  
After being unceremoniously dropped into the ZPD Savage and Frost found themselves having an uncomfortable conversation with Chief Bogo, both agents couldn't help staring at the large buffalo with disdain, his scolding face and imposing frame didn't face them in the slightest. In their eyes he was only a traitor to his country that chose to work for the criminal element, using his authority to cover up for the mafia's schemes.  
They had been escorted into an interrogation room right after their unexpected arrival, but before they could be questioned they disclosed their identities and the ZIA was all too quick to confirm their status as agents on a top secret mission, that meant they could not be asked any information about their involvement with the mafia.  
Since the ZPD was working for the mob it was likely that their already flimsy covers were completely blown, by now surely the cops snitched on them to the Wildes. Either way it was useless at this point to try to maintain their cover since their mission had failed spectacularly at soon as it started, if the conversations they heard on their second bag ride were true the war for the command of the family had already begun and soon their targets would be either dead or too powerful to be stopped. Still they were trapped in a sterile large interrogation room where they waited dejectedly until all the bureaucracy between the government agencies was sorted out, the small dull place certainly didn't help with their sour mood, the walls were painted with calk worn white and the spartan furniture was made of metal. To them it felt like a constrictive cage that forced them to wallow on their own failure.  
For his part Chief Bogo didn't care about the directives of the ZIA, yet another mob war was about to explode on his city and he was highly suspicious that the two mammals in front of him might be to blame. He was no idiot and he knew that regardless of their good intentions the agency had a knack for clumsily making everything worse with their excessive use of force and unbidden paranoia, as of now he needed answers and he didn't care whether he was authorized to get them or not  
-"May I ask agent Savage, how did you end up meddled with the Tundratown mafia?"- The large water buffalo spoke calm, only a tinge of irritation in his voice.  
Jack had grown tired of the protocols and secrecy as well, he should tell him he wasn't authorized to share such information, knowing the chief would have no choice to complain, but he had finally given up on playing by the rules -"I should ask you the same, my superiors are aware that you collaborated with them during the anti-pred conspiracy."-  
Raising a smug eyebrow the buffalo wasn't shaken by the blunt accusation -"Given what was at stake could you blame me? I did what was necessary to stop the attacks, even when that meant I had to work with less than honorable organizations, but in the end we brought peace over the city"-  
The hare was tired, bruised and on the verge of yet another existential crisis and he no longer had the energy to keep the blank cool façade that was expected from him -"Peace? Is that what you called it? Your lies might have fooled the media but we both know it was the mafia that caused the conspiracy and you helped them for your personal gain. What did they give you chief? How did they buy you off?"-  
In a fit of righteous rage Bogo banged his fist on the metal table that separated him from the agents.  
-"They gave me thirteen missing mammals and the end of a pred-prey conflict. THAT was my only prize. Now, either you are lying or de ZIA has the worst informants in history. Everyone knows it was the prey supremacists that were behind the conspiracy not the mafia, and we have solid evidence that proves it"-  
-"Chief, with all due respect, you're full of shit."- Skye purred, her blue eyes turned into suspicious slits. She didn't know why Savage was breaking every single protocol but she thought it would be best to play along for now, confronting your enemy might reveal useful information, even at the cost of your own data –"We were informed it was Wilde who created the entire conflict just so he could rise the ranks on the family among the chaos"-  
With a petulant sneer the chief tapped the two way mirror on the cell, probably addressing whoever officer was behind it –"Delgato, would you mind bringing our dear ZIA friends all the files and evidence about the anti-pred conspiracy?"-  
An hour later the fox and hare stared wide eyed at the files in front of them, sure the cops could falsify reports and coerce confessions but they could not alter the videos and several documents that were presented to them. He had never felt more like an idiot in his whole life.  
The media had been right, the police had been right; it was the ZIA that had been wrong.  
No, the ZIA wasn't wrong; a fucking intelligence agency couldn't make these kinds of errors. This false information wasn't given to them by mistake, it would've been too simple just to ask for cooperation with the police, and seeing how easily the chief gave them the evidence Jack was sure that the ZIA had the same access to the documents as he had.  
That meant one thing, and one thing only, the agency had lied to him. He had been nothing but a pawn in the cloak and dagger games his bosses loved to play, for what agenda he did not know, but if it had been something righteous he wouldn't have been lied to do so. It was like the fiasco with Riviera all over again, he believed he was the hero but in truth he was nothing but a criminal with a government paycheck.  
-"Have you contacted the ZIA yet?"- Jack asked losing all the spunk he had preciously with the chief, now regaining a more respectful demeanor  
-"We did check your credentials with the agency once you told us who you were, and they asked us not to probe into your mission. But as you can see I care very little about your bosses' opinion"- Bogo's voice sounded respectful but his eyes were openly confrontational  
-"Don't tell them that I know about their lies, please. As for our involvement we were sent to investigate the family, yet I'm afraid you have better intel on them than we do. If you please give us all you have on them I promise we will be very cooperative in the future."- Jack pleaded while Skye frowned beside him, the vixen could tell her partner was onto something, yet she didn't know whether it would be a genius solution or an impulsive mistake that might end in disaster.  
-"Nothing would make me happier than to leave your useless agency out of our case, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. But if you are considering to work outside of the ZIA let me warn you: if you think that bringing the mafia down is hard, boycotting your agency is impossible"-  
-"I will worry about that chief; just give me all you have and I give you my word the ZPD will be on the clear"-  
…..  
Two hours later the hare and the vixen were at their hotel, packing their belongings, his handler had contacted them and a private meeting was supposed to take place in a few hours.  
-"Jack I know you're planning something but if you don't tell me what it is I won't be able to help you"- Skye told her partner concerned, he had been acting very aloof and distant ever since they left the ZPD.  
-"I really don't know what to do just yet, but I won't let the ZIA run unchecked and cause more damage than good. We were sent to fight dangerous mammals with nothing but false intel, we also were expected to flirt with established mates and there was no single warning about the coup from Happytown, because of that now our targets might be the owners of the entire city. This whole thing reeks of tampering and I'm done with this shit"- For a single second his voice broke at the last words, his blue eyes watered and his nose twitched, every protective instinct within Skye flared as she had to fight the urge to hold that cute rabbit and give him comfort.  
-"Are you actually considering to go rogue?"- Her sad voice held the same warm motherly quality M usually had, but unlike with his handler in this case he could tell the concern was sincere.  
Jack lowered his head and shrugged –"Not unless I absolutely have to. But now I realize that following orders and doing the right thing are completely different issues, so for once I'm doing what's right, if the ZIA is acting rightfully then we're all on the same side."-  
-"And if they aren't?"- She feared the answer.  
Savage sighed, he felt like he had aged a decade in the last few months, M was right he was no little kit anymore –"I'll do what needs to be done, whether they support me or not"-  
-"Rabbit do you know what would happen if, or actually when, they catch you? You could be trialed for treason and be executed of imprisoned at Guanfaunamo! Besides what are you doing to do? What do you think is the ZIA up to?"- Her tail lashed in her apprehension, she knew that bunny was probably suicidal. It wasn't that rare of a reaction actually, for some agents the daily stress and social isolation were too much to handle and they had a mental breakdown, belatedly she realized that Jack by being so emphatic and good natured he was probably more susceptible to the harsh realities of the espionage world.  
-"I don't know but I'll find out. And yes I'm aware of the risks but I don't really care about it anymore, I'll recommend that you be removed from this mission, don't worry agent Frost I won't drag you with me on this one"- His eyes lit up with fierce determination, for a prey mammal he sure could look predatory when angered.  
Somehow the picture of that small heartbroken hare fighting not only the mob but the agency as well, throwing himself right into the crossfire like a kamikaze warrior, broke her heart. She was again invaded by a surge of protectiveness she never questioned or tried to control. That rabbit was hers to keep and nobody would harm him while she was alive.  
-"You're not gonna get rid of me little bun, this is my mission as well"- She told him with a lopsided grin, the confidence on her smile never reached her eyes.  
He gave her a sad chuckle -"Frost you do realize that whatever the ZIA might do to me for disobeying orders, will be a spa day compared to what the KGB would do to you, right?"-  
Skye hid her trepidation with a smug smirk as she petted the top of the hare's head. Somewhere in her mind the logical part of her brain kept screaming at her to dump the dumb rabbit and run for the hills before his stupid plan backfires and drags her down as well –"Don't worry your soft fluffy head Savage, I always land on my feet. So what's the plan?"-  
-"First I need to know what the ZIA really wants. When we meet with M I'll see what information we can get from her, once I know what they're up to I'll just do whatever needs to be done to bring down the mafia and whatever those freaks from Happytown were onto. If I need any backup I could ask for help from the police, apparently they might be out of all this mess"-  
For the first time in years he actually felt he was being the true hero, it was then that he understood that being a savior wasn't about following the rules, it was about following your own moral compass and do what you have to do without caring about the cost.  
…  
They met M in a boring inconspicuous office building right across Savannah's main square, its architecture specifically designed to be ignored by the thousand trespassers that crowd the city. Bland corridors and blander doors led to their final destination: a boring looking room with no windows and large computer screens, looking at them was the closest thing Jack had to an actual friend for over a decade, which now he realized was extremely pathetic. M, his trusted handler grunted a few curt formalities and invited them to sit in the boring plastic chairs across her desk, that cow didn't seem pleased.  
-"Way to go Savage, the Wildes are now the supreme leaders of the Zootopia underworld, as of now there are dozens of heads from former leaders and mobsters piling up on the Tundratown manor like a twisted sacrifice pile from the dark ages."-  
-"Maybe if you had a single clue about a fox's mating customs you wouldn't have sent me from such a useless approach, all I achieved was to make Nicholas jealous and angry. It would also been useful to know there was a war within the mafia for a dangerous drug. How is it possible that we only found out about the Russian roulette when a group of delinquents shot the crap out of us while tripping on it?"- Savage spat, he wasn't in a friendly mood either.  
The cow sighed –"The Russian roulette was my bad, on that I take responsibility. We did hear about it but the description of the symptoms was so outrageous we thought it was a myth, now that we know what it can do I fear is much worse than we thought.  
On the mating customs we are as shocked as you are, if anything agent Frost should have given us a heads up on the possibility for a fox to imprint on a prey."- Her accusing eyes turned on the blushing vixen  
Skye scoffed and rolled her eyes, hiding her panic behind a mask of sass –"Right because being a vixen automatically turns me into a behavioral sexology expert when it comes to the entire vulpine species."-  
-"We can all agree that there's not enough information on interspecies relationships in general, being a taboo issue and all that."- Jack said dismissive and eager to move on to another topic, there were more important issues to deal with.  
In the meantime Skye fought hard to hide her own embarrassment, cursing herself for the butterflies the rabbit behind her were stirring inside her belly.  
There was a poised strength in the way he acted, he fazed the danger ahead with nothing but a cold determination and a stiff upper lip, whether that was because of bravery or a desire of self destruction she didn't know. All she knew was that that striped fluffball would be her ruin.  
M said rolling her eyes –"There's nothing we can do about the mafia now, they have got too big to fall, but when the Russian Roulette hits the general population we are in for lots of chaos on the street. Our best chance is to form a bridge with the Wildes to keep its distribution to a minimum and buffer the impact."-  
-"Wait aren't we even gonna try to get this drug out BEFORE it hits the streets?"- Frost exclaimed outraged  
-"Frost for an allegedly seasoned agent you sure seem too naïve, the moment an effective drug is created it cannot be erased, you can't put that genie back into the bottle. The most we can hope right now is that when it does get into the open it doesn't strike on too big a part of the populace, for that we need to do some serious damage control and that might require the help of the underworld. So you guys have a second chance to redeem yourselves, if the Wildes didn't kill you after the attack on the restaurant then they might not hate you too much, strike a deal with the mafia with the distribution of the drug and make sure it stays contained"-  
-"Yeah contained only to the poorer areas and away from the gentrified ones right? Maybe it will be sold mostly to predators?"- Skye said with a snarl  
Before M could respond Jack dragged her out of the office.  
Jack could feel the pieces of the puzzle falling into his head, if only because he had witnessed that same modus operandi several times during his career.  
Just like in Tropicalia, what the ZIA wants is to exercise control over the drug in the hopes of containing it, and the only way they know how to achieve that is by gaining connections and influence with their creators and distributors. Their motto is: Destroy your enemies before they get too big, if you fail then negotiate before they realize it's possible for them to destroy you.  
There is another perk about this plan, the best way to access information from the criminal element is to commerce with it through the drug traffic route. Not to mention the many terrorist cells that can be spotted through international traffic since most terrorists organizations gain funding by drug trade. One of the reasons the war on drugs has failed so badly is because in the last decade the ZIA chose to prioritize the detention of foreign threats over the general safety of the same mammals within the nation they're supposed to be protecting.  
Should they actually make a deal with the Wildes, access to a mafia so powerful would grant the agency an unlimited amount of data on the underworld, something far more valuable to them than the crime spike the Russian Roulette will cause on the poorer areas of Zootopia.  
It was always the issue with the ZIA, by its shifty nature it was necessary for agents to trade information with the criminal element, so it's perfectly natural for them to move in grey areas rather than in the black and white of good versus evil. So he had spent his whole life stepping on grey lines, until one day he realized he had fallen on the dark side.  
He would end this all: the mafia, the Russian roulette, everything, he had nothing else to lose. All of them would die; he was determined to reap chaos on his wake.  
Skye on the other paw wasn't haunted by the same issues as Jack, to her the impending doom brought on by their possible desertion wasn't as pressing as her biological urge to mate. In her culture it is the vixen that chooses the male, and once she has set up her mind the only thing that can stop her from taking her mate is another vixen. Nowadays tods have campaigned for decades to have more saying on who they are supposed to bond for the rest of their lives, but the instincts of reproduction are much harder to suppress than the urge to hunt.  
She followed him to his apartment, he lives close to Savannah's Main Square and they're supposed to wait in there until they can determine their course of action. The rabbit was so lost in his inner musings that he failed to notice the dangerous glint in the vixen's eyes, or the menacing posture she exhibits over him.  
When they stepped inside his "bachelor pad" style apartment, Savage didn't know that once he closed the door he sealed his fate.  
-"Would you like something to drink? I have soda on the frr.."- the rabbit was unable to finish the sentence for he was swiftly thrown over his kitchen table, the strong body of the vixen he had considered an ally until a few seconds prior was pinning him in place.  
He had been trained to deal with a situation just like this, when your ally becomes foe in a blink of an eye, after all backstabbing is basically listed within his job description. On any other day he would have gotten her off him with a few jiu-jitsu moves and she would be shot dead within minutes, but not only did she caught him off guard, she had managed to get under his skin. He had considered her a friend and a much needed support as his own world was falling apart, her attack hurt much more than a stab wound on his chest.  
-"Why did you betray me? At least answer me that!"- He said not on the verge of tears, but with eyes damp and pitiful.  
Skye was confused for a second until she understood how her rash actions might look to the poor bunny beneath her, another fox would have smelled her arousal pheromones and understood her true intentions, but all Jack knew was that she had attacked him.  
She should do the rational thing and get away from the frightened bunny alleging a bout of insanity, but the instincts she suppressed her entire life regarding sexual urges and the need for affection burst through the dam and could never be held back again. Forcing herself on a non consensual partner was wrong, especially with someone who didn't understand the biological and cultural reasons behind her actions, had he been a fox he would have interpreted this as an aggressive flirt and nothing more. But backing out wasn't possible either, so she would have to settle for a middle ground. The crazed vixen wouldn't force her chosen mate, but she could flirt with him in order to get his consent.  
Her muzzle came closer to his, had she known how to have even a basic social interaction with a loved one she would have known what to say, instead all she could come up with was to give him a passionate kiss.  
Chapter 7: Chapter 7  
I found Judy crying last night.  
We were celebrating our takeover of the entire mafia with a huge banquet, our guys were happy, we were happy and vodka ran like a river over the many tables at the Tundratown manor. One moment I was discussing with Lobato on our next move regarding the Russian Roulette and the next I realized Judy was missing, she had been acting a little strange lately so I figured she might need some alone time, things have been a bit too hectic for us ever since we defeated the polar bears. But the night progressed and my wife never came back so I decided to look for her, after searching through the entire manor I begun to panic a little but eventually I followed the trail left by her scent.  
In the end I found her on the ballroom of the top floor staring from the same window were we used to contemplate the whole district, right where we danced our wedding waltz. I feel a wave of déjà vu as I walk towards her and wrap my arms around her little form, a year ago we had defeated Bellwether and from this same position we had looked at this cruel beautiful city with a mixture of dread and hope. But tonight she's crying quietly with her head down, now more focused on the wooden floor than the view outside of the glass.  
-"What's wrong?"- I ask gently while tenderly caressing her ears, right now I'm the most powerful mammal in the city, whoever is responsible of her tears won't live to see the sunset.  
-"That's the problem Nick, I don't know! I was just fine this afternoon and out of the sudden I got suffocated and felt this huge pressure in my chest"- She speaks between wheezes while wiping her tears.  
-"I'll tell the docs to check you up"- I say concerned, my large paw rests on her tiny torso, her breathing seems uneven and her heart thumps so fast it feels like a hummingbird was stuck inside her ribcage.  
-"I think I'm having a panic attack"- She says embarrassed  
Sighing in relief I realize she's most likely right, the symptoms do match and she has been under giant amounts of stress lately, her whole life has been one terrifying rollercoaster after another for a very long time now. Putting things in perspective a couple years ago she was a country bunny bumpkin filled with hope, dreams and determination, now she is the most feared and powerful female in Zootopia with many killings (directly or not) under her belt. It was all going to catch up to her eventually, considering her emotional and caring nature it's a miracle it hasn't happened before. What did we expect? Did we really thought we could work every single day of our lives, without a single day off, and not have any consequences? I was an idiot to think money and power would solve everything.  
I can't let this go on, I have to intervene now before she gets worse, just because an illness is psychosomatic it doesn't mean it's not serious. Besides, I need a break too.  
-"I think I have the cure for your illness, pack your bags Carrots, we're going on vacation"-  
Her sarcastic laugh sounds bitter but it's still cute for my ears. –"Yeah right, I'll tell the tooth fairy to watch over our turfs while we're gone"-  
-"I'm serious here, if we don't take a break right now this job will break us"-  
-"Nick we have tons of potential enemies waiting for a single breach in our security, if we leave now they might want to take over"- She straightens her shoulders and looks out the window, her breakdown seems to have run its course and she looks like the top mafia boss she's supposed to be, but I now it's only a matter of time until she breaks again.  
-"And if they do we'll give them this whole city with a big red bow and a large smile, then we'll tell everyone to go fuck themselves and elope to a Caribbean island with no extradition laws"- I joke and then nibble her left ear playfully.  
She finally laughs as the tension leaves her shoulders –"That would be so wonderful"-  
-"But I was serious about taking a break fluff, I won't let anyone or anything hurt you, not even this job"-  
-"I miss my home"- She says turning over and burrowing into the fur of my chest, her puffy cheeks leave a soft scent mark –"I haven't been there since I started working on the Down Low"-  
That's pretty feasible, the Burrows are only a train ride away. Shit we could make it there in only forty minutes by private plane, and if there is an upside about being a mafia boss is that we can actually afford one of those. Should anything happen on the city we could be there in a very short time.  
The image of a dull boring country town used to be a representation of hell for a city fox like me, but after so many shootouts, intrigues and murders I gotta admit a little boring quaint could be just what I need.  
….  
It was kind of a hassle to arrange the trip, fifty percent of the mafia became paranoid and they insisted we took an entourage with us, the other fifty percent basically banned us from travelling. In the end we settled things by taking a small group of our most trusted guys and several members of the second wave who were homesick as well. Thank god for the short ride because I was getting fed up with Sam's and Lobato's bickering, they are the best at their job but they will end up killing each other one day… or getting a room and rutting their differences away.  
Finally we arrive to the famous Hopps farm and it's all worth it by the look of awe and joy on her face when she sees her home, she told me the last time she had been there the property and fields had been burned down and the main complex was on severe decay for lack of maintenance. But now that there's a large amount of Hopps kits making good money on organized crime, a lot of their earnings went back home to support the farm and it took very little time to give back the original splendor to the large state.  
Her folks are waiting for us with homemade blueberry pies and a jar of fresh lemonade, when I see the perfect picture of hundreds of happy bunnies running around and enjoying the fresh air I kinda understand why Judy sacrificed so much to keep this beautiful place alive.  
Now the relationship between myself and my parents in law is still pretty tense, me being a low life criminal that kinda dragged their precious daughter into the mafia and all. But in their defense they accept Judy's choices and respect me as her husband, to be honest I find their cold courtesy way kinder than many of the fake compliments I hear as a crime boss.  
The children avoid me like the plague, it's probably because their parents are afraid of me and I can't say I blame them, after all I've become the type of monster that should never be close to a child, yet there is still a pang of guilt in my chest every time I see their big watery eyes and their twitchy noses. Surprisingly they do love Lobato, it's so funny to see the large thug swarmed by little bunnies to the point he's not even able to walk. Sam wasted no time to take videos and photos of the guy cuddling and playing with the little kits, that's prime blackmail material folks, and I bet her devious bunny brain will find a way to make the most out of them.  
The half of the Hopps clan that stayed on the farm hates the mafia with a burning passion, but they aren't hypocrite enough to deny their lifestyle would be over without the money that comes from it. So they treat us with respect and their stereotypical country hospitality, not really minding to share their burrow with a fox if that means they get to live in peace after I'm gone.  
I used to dream of a future when I would be treated with respect, even by mammals that don't really like me, yet after being met with submissive stares for a whole year I kinda miss the honesty mammals show when they don't have anything to lose. In order to escape all this awkwardness I decided to involve in a little side project, a hobby if you may like.  
You don't think I've forgotten about that bully that used to torture my wife, don't you? You know the one that caused her to fear all foxes. A greater mammal than me would have gotten over it by now, but with every microscopic twitch of her nose whenever I'm too close I am reminded of it. Sure she has turned it into a subtle kink but the fear is still there, in spite of all the love she feels for me it has taken deep roots inside her psyche, and instead of going away it became like a thorn on my side that gets sharper and more annoying as time goes by.  
A mature mammal would convince his wife to go to therapy and fix thing the normal way, but I'm an angry canid in heat and I believe I can punch my way into this issue. My theory is that if I confront her with her bully she might not be afraid anymore, besides Marian knows the guy has it coming.  
Judy is smart enough not to speak of him in my presence but there are lots of naïve bunnies in this burrow that might want to gossip about my wife's childhood. And lo and behold, it takes only a few beers with Stu to get all the info I want. I gotta give credit to that buck he is a pretty simple guy, all it took for me to get on his good side is a fishing trip to a lake nearby and a couple of cool beer bottles and now we're buddies for life.  
-"That Gideon Grey was a menace, because of him we almost considered to have Judy home schooled, but you know her, she's never one to back down"- Taking a swig from the now lukewarm can he stared into the enchanted landscape of the country sunset -"Could you believe he had the nerve to ask me a loan a while ago? I think it was a month before the fire. He said he wanted to open a bakery and needed a new oven, I never unloaded my rifle so quick"-  
-"Did you kill him?"- I asked fearing my quest could be over before it started.  
-"Nah, I used a BB gun, the pellets sting like the devil though"- The buck had a dorky and kinda cute laugh that Judy inherited from him, I like the guy, he can be misguided at times but his heart is in the right place.  
We toasted with our beer cans looking at the sun setting over a crystal clear lake, how I needed this peace and quiet.  
-"I had my doubts at first, especially with everything that's happened. But you're all right Nick, you take good care of my daughter"-  
-"So I'm all right for a fox?"- I ask playfully while lifting a skeptic eyebrow  
He shrugged and gave me a lopsided grin –"Nope, just all right"-  
Damn it feels so good to be truly accepted for who you are.  
…..  
So the next day while Judy was helping Bonnie in the kitchen I sneaked out and went to look for mister Grey. It didn't take long for me to find him, he lived on the edges of Bunnyburrow in a house so unkempt it looked abandoned, a hand painted sign hanged from the entrance, it read "Gideon's Bakery" its pink and light blue colors were probably a mockery of his broken dreams. The excuse of a fox was sitting on his broken porch drinking moonshine out of a plastic bottle, looking at him I'm wondering if I could ever make his life any worse than it already is, I guess karma beat me to it.  
-"Whaddaya want?"- He burped and wiped the excess booze from his muzzle, I don't know what's worse, the country accent or the drunken slur.  
-"I wanna talk about a friend of mine, a little bunny doe named Judy"- I said casually hiding the malice in my eyes behind my dark sunglasses, and my gun below my loose t-shirt.  
-"Ah heard tha she made it 'n the big city. They say she made all that money by… you know… selling her tail?"- There isn't any judgment on his eyes, merely curiosity. I let it slide for now and ignore the question; if he asks or implies something about those lines again I'll sell him to the down low and show him what those poor working girls have to go through every day.  
-"Yes she is a very important mammal in Zootopia, she also told me you were really mean to her when they were kits and it kinda left a mark on her. You know I was thinking this would be a nice chance to get on her good side and do things right again for once, get some good karma for yourself"-  
-"Sir I have so much bad luck that "karma" of yours wouldn' help me. I don' give a fig for Judy I couldn't stand her smug attitude, she always acted like she was too good for this town. Always babbling about making it on Zootopia and making the world a better place, meh at least she got the first thing right, but the world still seems like a shitty place to me"-  
He doesn't even flinch when I lift him by the collar of his filthy flannel shirt and stamp him on the wall, his dull lifeless eyes stare at me with the hope that I might end his suffering, with disappointment I realize you can't break what is already broken. I drop him on the floor as I plan my next move, I don't think facing this furball would bring her closure, she wouldn't be happy about his disgrace she's not that kind of mammal, if anything she'll feel sorry for him and try to help him out. Well maybe that's the answer, maybe if she forgives him and they end up in good terms she'll find the closure she needs.  
But then I see the back of his house and notice a broken furnace filled with old black soot, some of it was cleaned off but the drywall shows clear signs of a fire, in the back of the house there is a dead forest, burned and ruined a long time ago with only a few puny saplings trying to grow back, frail green branches slowly peering into the sunlight from the burned remains.  
The poorly covered evidence screams its story to me, slowly I turn around to see the broken fox on the floor with regret on his face.  
-"You caused it, you caused the fire."- I say numbed by the sheer discovery. All the mammals that died on that tragedy, the farms that were ruined, the does that were forced into prostitution just to survive, everything was caused right in this place.  
-"It was an accident! I was makin' my first batch of cookies but my ol' furnace exploded and I couldn't put it out in time, the forest was dry after a drought it caught fire too quickly! I couldn't do anything to stop it"- He cries on the floor not even bothering to lift himself up.  
-"Do you have any idea of the damage you caused on this whole town? How many lives you ruined?"- I scream at him fighting the urge to stomp on his hollow skull and squeeze him like a bug.  
-"Ah know! and I could never forgive m'self for that, I would've killed m'self if I had the guts but I don't"- He says crying on the floor and curling into a ball.  
-"If you feel so sorry for all of this. Why didn't you confess?"- I spat already reaching for my gun, I don't think Judy needs to know about this, maybe I'll just make the world a huge favor and rid this stupid fox from it.  
-"Ah went to the police but they beat me up and told me I was a drunk and to keep mah mouth shut, some big shot farmers were insured against fires if they were a natural disaster, if the fire was provoked they wouldn't see a dime."- He said finally standing on his feet, there was nothing but defeat and hopelessness on his face.  
The truth was awful, as it is often the case, but hiding it and burying it behind this shack won't do anyone any good.  
So I called Judy and told her to meet me on Gideon's house, by the time she arrived her school bully was hanging on the porch tied up but still alive, I explained her everything that happened and showed her the burned kitchen. She cried in my arms, so many scars pain and hardships resurfaced in that instant but now his faith was in her paws.  
She always had the uncanny ability to recover even in the most hopeless situation, the storm of tears passed away and she seemed to resurface out of it with a plan and a newfound strength. She looks right into my eyes as she asks me –"Please Nick, leave us alone, there's a lot of things I need to tell him"-  
I know that look, it's the one that commands you to do as she says or face the consequences and I'm not so brave as to oppose her right now, so I nod and tell her I'll be outside in case she needs me.  
Hours go by, I spend that time laying on the grass and looking at the sky trying to find shapes and patterns on the clouds, everything is quiet, too quiet. Whatever Judy chose to do to that fox wasn't loud, as another gorgeous sunset paints the country landscape I finally lose my patience and head into the wooden shack. Of every gory scenario that ran into my head what I saw when I came in was totally unexpected.  
Judy and Gideon were chatting amiably on the kitchen table while eating cupcakes and drinking tea, when they see me she smiles sweetly and he's smart enough to lower his eyes in a submissive position.  
-"Is everything alright?"- I ask completely baffled.  
-"Yes Nick everything's fine, at first I was reaaally angry with Gideon but after a long hard conversation we settled some of our issues. Actually, we were both talking about a business opportunity"- she says in the friendly tone she uses with many of her associates, it sounds harmless on the surface but if you listen closely there's a hint of a menace behind it.  
-"And what business would that be?"- I don't know what she's up to but looking at the ambition in her eyes, I can tell it will be interesting.  
-"Well, I was thinking that since he caused the fire that ruined the town it would only be fair if he helped to build it back up. He was a jerk to me in the past and he did ruined the life of many mammals, but let's be honest here Nick, we kinda did the same. For all our efforts to do things right, we still are a criminal organization, so I thought it would be nice if we handled a legitimate business for a change. And that's where he comes along"- She says pointing at the terrified fox sitting in front of her –"He's not a psychotic monster, he's just someone who wanted to make a better life for himself, but no one ever gave him a chance and life managed to ruin all his prospects for a decent future. We both know how that feels."-  
I nod in understandment, I know how it feels to try to make an honest buck only to find contempt and closed doors. And I think I know where she's going with all this.-"Let me guess Carrots, you'll give him that chance?"-  
-"Here Nick, have a cupcake"- She says giving me a dainty pastry covered in blueberries, the last thing I want is to eat something made by that asshole, but since she's the one offering it I just can't say no so I eat it anyway. Once I taste it the morsel disappears into my muzzle within seconds. Wow… just…. Wow, that guy is an insult to my species but damn can he cook!  
-"Alright Carrots, I can see your point. What do you want to do with the guy? Will you hire him as a cook?"-  
-"I was thinking about giving him a loan so he can start his own bakery, he could use produce from our farm in exchange of a share of the profits. If he plays his cards right and works hard enough"- She says giving the fox a really menacing glare, by the way he swallows the lump in his throat I can tell he won't be stupid enough to disappoint her –"He would pay us back in less than five years, if he's successful he might even hire more mammals from the town and a thriving business would be just what this place needs to get back on its feet."-  
My wife is full of surprises, I knew she was smart and resourceful but I never knew she could be this savvy, damn I can't wait to have some alone time with her tonight but I have a gift to give her before we close the deal. –"Why don't we rise the stakes? Why don't we set a chain of bakeries set both in Bunnyburrow and Zootopia? We have more than enough funds to do so and we could use it to laundry our money, besides we could give something to our guys that nobody has ever given them, the chance to live an honest life. Think of it like a retirement plan for those members of the family that are tired of the mafia or are just too old to keep up with it, we would actually take criminals from the street and turn them into honest citizens if they chose to do so."-  
She runs into my arms and kisses me with so much passion my tail wags like crazy, it takes a lot of self control for me not to drag her into our room and lock us up until next morning. When the kiss ends I whisper into her ears concerned –"Do you really forgive him for all he did?"-  
She whispers back after giving me a soft kiss on the cheek -"Yes, holding grudges won't help anyone, and right now, we have the chance to truly make the world a better place"-  
Chapter 8: Chapter 8  
If Skye had to describe her lovemaking with Jack in one single word it would be "unlimited". If she wanted a quick rump he could be as fast as a lightning, if she wanted a long slow burn that tested her endurance and brought great rewards he could keep going and going for hours on end without showing any sign of exertion. He could be as gentle or harsh as she asked him to, and he could start all over again as soon as he was done. Foxes are usually limited in their mating by the knot, a hare has no such limits and seeing what his freer physiology was capable of, she couldn't understand why was she so "weirded out" to fall in love with a rabbit to begin with.  
But there is an issue between the different mating customs of both species, when a vixen chooses a mate nothing will stop her except maybe an even stronger vixen, the will of the male is rarely taken into account even in this modern day and age. Now she has chosen a mate in Jack and has marked him in his sleep, he is hers, whether he likes it or not.  
Which brings yet another problem, she had to choose a crazy rabbit with some sort of death wish and an existential crisis, one who might not understand or even like the idea of being bound for life to a female he barely met. She spent her entire life avoiding any emotional bond with other mammals, she doesn't even know how to interact with others aside from working on missions or playing a cover, she never even had a friend in her whole life. Now she has a rabbit, and she doesn't really know what to do with him other than protect her little fuzzball from both the cruelty of this awful world and his own recklessness.  
Her paws gently caress his smaller frame, his fur is soft like cotton but below there is a myriad of scars and rock hard tight muscle. He snores a little while nuzzling closer into the thick fur of her chest, it's the most adorable spectacle she has ever witnessed.  
The afterglow of their passionate night is a beautiful moment. Just like the calm before the storm or perhaps more accurately, the eye of a brutal hurricane that threatens to wipe them both from the face of the earth  
But all things beautiful and peaceful are not made to last, Jack's phone screeches from the kitchen and he awkwardly raises from his vixen and stumbles to pick it up.  
The cold profesional voice of M sounds from the speaker -"Good news Savage, you have a chance to fix your mess"-  
-"I'm listening"- The sleepy hare responds while rubbing his eyes, he looks like a little kit that just woke up from his nap  
-"I've got orders from our bosses, this comes from the top chain of command. The Wildes are the supreme leaders of the mafia now, and therefore also of Zootopia and that makes them too dangerous. A few years from now they could run the entire country if they pleased and without any leverage on them we have no way to guarantee their cooperation, they have become too powerful for a proper negotiation. But they made the mistake of letting their rivals live, Kevin Socoloff and Raimund Nikov used to have a claim on several turfs but then were casted out. Yet they still have several connections towards the mafia and they might know about this drug. Your new mission is to help them overthrow the Wildes from power and strike a cooperation deal with them."-  
-"Wouldn't that create more problems than solutions? We would still end up with very powerful mafia bosses, a drug running amok on the population and yet another mafia war that would catch innocent mammals in the crossfire"-  
-"The difference would be that those would be guaranteed allies and would help us contain the drug"-  
"By contain you mean distribute and get a cut of the profits" Jack thought bitterly, this is the typical modus operandi of the ZIA: set someone in power that will bow to the agency's will, regardless of whether they are good leaders or not and make millions out of the suffering of the most vulnerable. All in the name of good old Zootopia, god forbid they ever admit that their cure is worse than any disease.  
But Jack is ready this time, he squares his shoulders and sighs, he has a plan and it's time to put it in motion.  
Looking at M through the screen of his I-carrot Jack says in a cold monotone voice -"If i do this, let me remind you that I'll have access to a lot of valuable information and contacts now. This is the last time I risk my life while the fat suits on bigger payroll fill their pockets, I want a part of the profits from all the russian roulette we "contain" is that clear?"-  
The cow laughs from the other side of the line -"Well look at mister hero there, finally you got some common sense. Sure thing Jack, if you do the deal you'll be the one to care about the drug, and I'll make sure the higher ups know how much of a good bunny you were in this mission"-  
There is the ghost of a devious smile on his lips -"Good, get me the location of Socoloff and Nikov. I'll set up a meeting"-  
-"I sent you an email already"- then without wasting time in pleasantries his handler hung up  
-"Really Jack? are you gonna turn into a corrupted agent now?"- Sky asked leaning into the wall that separated the bedroom from the kitchen, completely naked and with a sarcastic smirk on her face. She might not know him for a long time but she knew that persistent bunny didn't have a crooked bone in his body.  
-"This way they won't suspect anything when I turn the tables on all of them"- He shrugged  
-"So what's your plan?"- She said sauntering past him, her fluffy tail slapped him playfully.  
Always the gentleman Jack made her sit while he made breakfast, it's the least you can do for a lady you were intimate with, or maybe it should be dinner? he doesn't know how long they were cooped up in the bedroom. -"First we do as we're told, we get rid of the Wildes with the help of Kevin and Raimund while we track down the russian roulette. Once the Wildes are out of the way we'll kill those polar bears and destroy all the containers of the drug, along with the ones that distribute it"-  
-"And you plan to do this all by yourself?"- She scoffs while chewing the delicious raspberry pancakes he placed right in front of her.  
-"The ZIA will help us for the hardest part of the mission, since I called dibs on the distribution nobody will suspect if I track down and hoard the drug for myself, is just that instead of selling it I'll destroy it. Before Kevin and Raimond take their seats at the throne of the mafia I'll kill them."-  
-"Even if you do get close enough to those polar bears to shoot them both without turning into their lunch, how do you plan to survive when their angry buddies retaliate?"-  
-"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it"- He sent a suave wink in her direction  
She growled, the plan seemed a bit too risky for her taste.  
-"Besides we can have some backup from the police. As soon as we're done with all the mafia bosses the power vacuum will make it possible for them to destroy all organized crime for good"-  
-"Even if they choose to help you. Do you think they'll be able to protect you from the agency once they find out you disobeyed their orders?"-  
-"Not really, as we discussed before there isn't much of a chance to get out of this mess in one piece. If you want to get back to Siberia this is the time to do so, I wouldn't blame you if you did"- He doesn't throw a pleading glance that would surely melt her heart, even when it would be easy for him to do so. He just looks at her with a neutral calm expression that tries to reassure her, as if telling her he would be fine with or without her help.  
That of course is a blatant lie, she knows he is doomed without her.  
-"You know rabbit, I have an idea to get our employers of our backs. Remember the PRISM government leaks? What if we could find the evidence of the agency's wrongdoings and expose them over the web?- she threw him a sly grin while drinking her coffee  
-"That would get us killed much faster by the ZIA"- he deadpanned while drinking his  
-"Not if we go to another country and find asylum there, one that would be happy to secure a piece of the agency's dirty laundry"-  
-"Like Siberia perhaps?"- He scoffed -"It would be treason"-  
-"The ZIA is not your country Jack, it's a rotten government agency that causes more harm to your people than any of its foreign enemies. This drug would hurt so many mammals yet they're more interested in gaining influence over the criminal element that to fight it. I know it sounds weird but helping your country might mean that you have to be seen as a traitor for it."-  
-"Meanwhile you would bring a lot of sensitive information from Zootopia to your bosses in Siberia. Your country would gain the advantage while mine is thrown into revolt when all citizens distrust their government, weakening us from the inside"- Was this her new mission? Jack wondered, to seduce him and manipulate him so he would give her intel of his own country? The cold war was technically in the past, but the tensions between Zootopia and Siberia never ceased to exist, they just cool down and heat up depending on the political landscape.  
She chuckled bitterly -"My people are cruel bloodthirsty fascist with a hunger for power that almost rivals yours, but they are the only ones powerful enough to protect us from the ZIA"-  
Jack slouches over his kitchen table, how can he do the right thing when he isn't even sure what is right from wrong to begin with? He feels her strong longer arms around him while her pointy snout wedges between his ears, he smells her strong intoxicating perfume that has soaked into his own skin, he didn't know she wore perfume until now.  
-"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?"- She throws his own words back at him while snuggling him from behind and he's not strong enough to fight her allure  
-"Yeah let's get ready for our meeting"- he sighs tired.  
…..  
The polar bears aren't dumb enough to step one paw on Zootopia, they encounter the agents in a bar located in Feralia.  
It's a dark quiet place, they can speak without worrying about raising their voice. Closing time is coming and the patrons are few and far between, it's kinda ironic the calm polite way these four mammals plan to break havoc in the underworld. The bears look confident and collected, apparently they were already planning a hostile takeover against the Wildes, the assets provided by the ZIA would make their mission easier though.  
-"So how do you plan on doing this?"- Jack asks casually while drinking his fifth cup of coffee for the day, had he been younger he would be bouncing up the walls by now, but in this moment he needs the extra alertness.  
-"They have the loyalty of most comrades, but the family consists mostly of business mammals. If we kill them and the ones closest to them in the higher tier of the food chain, the rest will have no choice but to follow our orders"- Kevin said taking a long drag of his cigarette, he wasn't exactly blowing the smoke on the vixen and hare's faces but the low ventilation on the room turned the air stale and thick.  
Raimund continued explaining -"Whe have someone on the inside, the leader of the nocturnal, Garraza"-  
-"Huh, he didn't strike me as someone who might have a grievance against the Wildes. Our intel is unreliable but I thought it was them who placed him in a very powerful position, before they took over he was just a lowlife crook"- Skye said suspicious, you need to know the motivations behind your assets, otherwise you won't be able to exploit them properly.  
-"Oh he is very grateful to them, but he is above all a greedy cheetah. Apparently he got a hold on the russian roulette when he became leader of the nocturnal, but the Wildes stick to the old family code and want the drug eradicated so they won't let him trade in peace. That's why he's moving over to our side."-  
-"Wait, are you saying the mafia doesn't want to trade drugs? I thought they were specialist in dealing them"- Jack asked not hiding his surprise  
-"Mr Big wouldn't allow it, so that market was exclusively taken by the cartels from the south. The russian roulette would be the first narcotic that we could control before they do"- Kevin responded lighting up another cigarette  
-"Then who is really behind this drug trade?"- Skye was taking mental notes while everyone else talked, she was still thinking of a way to save Jack from himself when this whole issue blew up  
Raimund shrugged -"Kristoff was the first to deal with it but that ended up blowing in his face, when Garraza took over he knew better than to kill such a profitable business"-  
-"Well the thing is that if you want to have the help of our agency the whole trade will have to belong to me from now on, I hope Garraza doesn't mind"- Jack looked at the polar bears with cold determined eyes, this was clearly an issue he wouldn't negotiate.  
Raimund scoffs -"He won't let you, since he only came with us so he could have the drug business for himself. But he already supplied all the information we needed from him so he is of no use to us. If you want to rule the trade all by yourself then I suggest you take care of him first, we won't mind if you take his place."-  
Yep, the mafia is not different from any other business, Skye thought, preach loyalty all you want but in the end greed always comes first.  
…...  
A few hours later Jack had another meeting, this time with Garraza. The polar bears were kind enough to set this one up and told the Cheetah that the ZIA agent only wanted to have a small cut of the profits in exchange for government protection.  
They met on the docs at 2 am, Jack was alone while Garraza had three henchmammals from the nocturnal with him. The cheetah was clearly not happy to see the hare and was obviously planning some sort of offensive.  
At first Jack played the part of the greedy but spineless bureaucrat, his much smaller body and meek posture really helped to sell the cover.  
-"Look Mr. Garraza, I don't wanna cause you any trouble, all I want is for both of us to get a nice profit. But if we want to do this I'll need some information. By example, where does this drug come from?"-  
-"What do you care? If you don't want to mess with my business why would you need to know that?"- The feline's amber eyes almost glowed in the dark, in them there was the same hunger and malice of violence past. It was almost a trip back in time, when fierce predators like him would maul tiny rabbits like Jack in a blink of an eye.  
Jack was trained to ignore the primal urges in his prey DNA that begged him to run away from violent predators, if the anti-pred conspiracy taught him anything is that "meek preys" are far more dangerous than these overgrown kitties and their sharp fangs. -"The more I know the easier it will be for me to protect your shippings and oil up all the cogs on the bureaucratic machine"- His voice was calm and gentle, he wasn't trying to start a confrontation just yet.  
Garraza just laughed at this bunny's audacity, he almost liked him …almost -"It comes from Siberia, it was developed as a neurochemical weapon by the KGB and then bought by the Zootopia government itself, via legal contract by the department of defense. Someone figured out that when diluted it gets you high and it ended up on Happytown. So I don't need to worry about any "bureaucratic cogs" as you say, because the hole import is completely legal, and I don't need a stupid parasite from the government leaching my hard earned money"- With a cocky smile he pulled out a gun and aimed it right between Jack's eyes -"So tuck that cutesy little cotton tail between your legs and get the fuck outta here before I blow your head off"-  
Staring at the barrel of the gun Jack just arched an unenthusiastic eyebrow and snapped his fingers, his hands hadn't stopped moving when a large caliber bullet pierced the cheetah's skull, luckily the hare wasn't splattered too badly by all the blood.  
Perched on a distant rooftop Skye was holding a sniper rifle with a satisfied look on her face, it had been a while since she had last killed someone this way but her aim was still perfect.  
Terrified the remaining mobsters aimed their weapons at him while frantically looking at the sky trying to guess where the shot had come from.  
Dropping his cover the agent revealed himself as the dangerous mammal he truly was -"Gentlemammals this is not the way to treat your new boss, please lower your weapons. We all now the only reason you haven't joined your former employer here is because you are more useful to me alive than dead"- Jack said cool as a cucumber while wiping the drops of blood from his dark suit.  
After a moment of hesitation the mobsters did as they were told, they were still too shocked to utter a single word.  
-"Good, now you're gonna take every single supply you have of the merchandise and put it in a warehouse outside the city, I also want the names of every provider you have. From now on we're gonna do things a little differently"-  
-"What about the Wildes? They never knew that Garraza was double crossing them, they'll come for you, and us if they know we are following your orders"- a bat asked him not knowing which side to turn or where he could escape from this mess.  
-"They won't be a problem for long, Kevin and Reimund will take over soon. Just keep your mouth shut for the time being"- And with that the hare calmly walked away.  
As soon as he and his foxy partner climbed into his car they received a call from Kevin  
-"Are you done?"- The polar bear asked  
-"Yeah, everything is in order"- Both agents said in unison  
-"Good, the Wildes are on vacation now so that means they have only a small group of comrades guarding them. We won't have a better chance than this to get rid of them but we'll still be outnumbered and the group around them is very capable and loyal. So we need your agency to provide back up, at the very least fifty soldiers."-  
-"I'll contact the agency, just tell me where they are"-  
-"The hopps farm in Bunnyburrow"-  
Both agents looked at each other in a panic -"There are hundreds of civilians in that farm, forging a war in there would create too many casualties"- Skye voiced her outrage  
-"So? most of the hopps clan is in on it anyway"- Kevin grunted  
-"Even the kits that live there?"- She responded angry  
-"Are we doing this yes or no?"- Kevin ground every single word, clearly losing his patience  
-"Yes we are, when do you wanna do the takeover?"- Jack said coldly  
-"How fast can you give us the army?"-  
-"Two hours, give or take. It could all be over before sunrise"-  
-"Good, I'll see you then"- The polar bear hung up in a good mood, knowing that soon the whole family would be his.  
-"Please tell me you have a plan Jack, one that doesn't put little bunny kits in danger"- Sky told her mate barely containing her anger  
The hare merely stares into the night through the windshield of his car, his eyes lost on the dark sky that's almost devoid of stars, because of all the pollution in the air.  
Sighing he answers -"I give up Skye, I'm tired to always try to do what is right and still this world gets more rotten every day. Maybe it's time to accept that sometimes you have to do evil things for the greater good"-  
-"What does that mean?"- The vixen asks menacingly. Could he be willing to sacrifice a lot of innocent lives in order to destroy the mafia? Was he turning into the same cold hearted government crooks he always hated?  
He stares right into her eyes and says -"It means I have a plan"-  
Chapter 9: Chapter 9  
Jack's plan basically consisted of making two phone calls. First he called Wilde from Garraza's phone, it's not like the cheetah would need it anymore.  
-"What is it spots?" he heard the sleepy mumbling voice of the red fox at the other side of the line  
-"Your associate is unavailable right now"- Jack grumbled  
-"What did you do to him?"- came the threatening reply, his voice was now crisp and alert, that sure woke him up  
-"I shot him right in the head, his corpse is at the docks in case you want it"- He took the blame for the murder and avoided to say it was actually Skye the one that did the shot on purpose, this was his plan and he didn't want the vixen to be implicated or targeted by the mafia in case it failed  
He heard a menacing growl at the other side of the line  
-"Quit that canid bullshit fox. Your boy here was double crossing you with Raymund and Kevin, they're planning an attack on your farm right now"-  
-"The fuck are you talking about? Garraza wouldn't…"-  
\- "He wanted the trade of the russian roulette for himself."- Jack cut him off, time was of the essence and he wouldn't waste in pleasantries -"Oh and by the way, forget about getting those filthy paws of yours on that drug, it's gonna be nothing but neutralized chemicals by the time you reach it. Get the kits and the civilians off that burrow safe, before your enemies kill them all just to get to you"-  
-"How much time do we have?"- He said more calm, clearly hiding his fear under a facade of neutrality.  
He calculated how long it would take for his team to regroup and drive to the burrows -"Four hours at most, make good use of it"- Jack said unable to hide the pity in his voice, at least for the poor kits, then he unceremoniously hung up  
The second call was made from his burner cell phone to the police, this time the voice of Chief Bogo at the other end of the line was alert, maybe the buffalo suffered from insomnia  
-"Chief, Kevin Socoloff and Raimund Nikov are gonna attack the Wildes. They are staying in the Hopps farm in Bunnyburrow. I infiltrated inside of their team and they are expecting me to bring them an army from the ZIA to fight them, if we bring enough fire power and play our cards right we can let both factions of the mob destroy each other"-  
There was a pause from the chief's side -"I'll send a SWAT team, but the Tri-burrow area is far from our jurisdiction, I assume you can talk to your superiors to keep this below the radar"-  
-"I'll figure something out"- Jack said pinching the bridge of his nose, the last thing he wanted was to involve the ZIA into this, they would favor the polar bears and make things worse. But it wouldn't be fair to lead the police into this clusterfuck and let them take the fall later on.  
So after hanging up he called the agency's office of public affairs and told them to prepare a press release for tomorrow celebrating the ZIA's involvement in the capture of Zootopia's biggest mobsters. Once they took responsibility for the takedown in the burrows they would have to deal with the consequences, if everything works out they'll take the credit but if it doesn't the police can claim it was following orders from the ZIA and avoid taking the blame.  
This plan could work out, but a lot of its success would depend on leaving many things to chance, still stuck on his car he saw Skye sitting next to him and wished she had left him alone. It would have been easier for him to face this battle without having anything to lose, but he had. He vowed to himself that he'll keep her on the clear as much as he could.  
…  
-"Judy"- The dread in Nick's voice was palpable  
-"I know, I heard everything"- She said pointing at her large sensitive ears -"I'll handle the evacuation while you contact our people, tell them to get here ASAP and they better be ready for a full attack, we have to show those bears nobody messes with our family"-  
It was the first time he saw his wife this angry, the cold calculating expression in her face and the burning rage in her eyes reminded him of the latter years of Mr Big.  
She pressed a red button that was located in the hallway right outside their room and an alarm went off inside the compound, within minutes a swarm of bunnies gathered in the main halls in a very quiet and orderly fashion, Bonnie and Stu were quick to take the lead and ordered everyone to go to the living room. When you live in an underground compound evacuation drills are always a necessity, it was because of them that the Hopps clan didn't have any casualties during the large fire over a year ago.  
When Judy told her parents what was happening she felt a little insulted at how unsurprised they were at the news  
-"We knew this thing might happen as soon as your brothers and sisters joined the mob, had it been just you it wouldn't be so bad but with half our family working for organized crime…"- Bonnie trailed off and shook her head in disappointment.  
Stu laid a comforting paw over his wife's shoulder -"We are the ones that invited crime into our house and made money off it, all this danger was to be expected."-  
-"I'm so sorry guys, for dragging all of you into this. But I promise you I'll keep you safe."- She said sad but determined  
Bonnie hugged her daughter tight -"We are the ones that should have kept you safe, had we done that none of this would've happened"-  
It took less than twenty minutes to lead almost three hundred bunnies away from the main burrow through several tunnels that the family had dug with their own paws many decades prior. The tunnels led to a small copse of trees almost nine hundred feet away from the main building. Once everyone was out Judy laid the orders to her crew - "All members of the second wave stay with the civilians and lead them far away from here, avoid main roads. Go as far as Deerbroke if you have to. The members of the first wave stay with us"-  
-"Are you crazy? We don't have enough mammals from the first to survive an attack against those jerks, many of us can fight you know?"- Sam interjected.  
-" And that's why we need you to guard the kits and civilians, they are the main priority, we'll have to make due."-  
-"But..."- Sam begun to plead but couldn't even finish the sentence.  
-"That includes you too Sam, go with them"- Judy cut her off, she spoke as her boss not her sister and it was a direct order.  
-"It's for the best bunny, let the real fighters take care of this one"- Lobato said from behind the bosses, he couldn't resist to make a jab against her. The wolf gave her a toothy smug grin while the little rabbit growled and thumped her feet.  
-"I'll show you what this bunny can do"- She said pulling out her gun from below her suit and aiming its barrel towards the snarky wolf. -"At least I'm in one piece, you're still filled with bruises from the last attack"-  
Frustrated by her sister's constant desire to put herself in danger, Judy made a tactical decision that would also make those two pay for their constant bickering -"Fine Sam, you and Lobato will work together as the second line of defense"- The mafia boss had to resist the urge to smirk at the face those two made when they heard the order, they looked like two kits who had just gotten grounded.  
-"We have at least three hours until the bulk of our cavalry gets here since they are coming through land, but our best guys are coming by helicopter and they're bringing a lot of firepower, they'll be here in forty minutes."- Nick added breaking some of the tension between the two sisters.  
-" I could get you more fighters if you want"- Said Stu shocking everyone except Bonnie, who knew what her husband was up to -" There's a lot of mammals in here that can barely feed their kits and they know we have ties with the mafia, if you offer them a job in the city they'll be happy to help"-  
-"Tell them that if they help us now they'll have a guaranteed spot on our family, and we can even offer a lot of safe jobs for them right here in the burrows if they want. There's gonna be a large bakery opening up in here very soon and we could use the extra help"- Nick and Stu exchanged sly looks as they shook paws.  
Bonnie said goodbye to her daughters and gave them a big hug, knowing there was a chance she might not see them again. She hated leaving her girls to fend for themselves but sadly that was the life of crime they chose and such risks would come with it. The Hopps clan needed a leader, one of their founders had to stay alive to rule over the civilian members and since Bonnie, as the matriarch, was the backbone of their family she had to lead them in case that the rest didn't survive.  
Then she gave her husband the type of passionate kiss she didn't usually give in public, but since he would stay and fight with their daughters she knew it could also be their last kiss, so she made it count.  
When Stuart left, Nick whispered into Judy's ear -"I never thought your dad could be this cunning"-  
-"Why? did you think he was dumb?"- She said snickering and playfully slapped his arm. Funny how many mammals confused her father's simple emotional personality with stupidity.  
Thirty minutes later the Hopps patriarch came back with at least eighty mammals, in the eclectic group there were some small rabbit clans of twenty members each, also a few foxes, racoons and weasels. At least half of them were females which is rare for an attack group, but to their credit those gals looked even more dangerous than the males.  
Looking at the group Nick realized just how bad folks had it in here, many looked malnourished and seemed to have lost patches of fur or even their teeth. He thought he knew poverty when he was just a kit scraping by on the city streets, but at least then food and resources were achievable and abundant around him that he could steal when necessary, and there was at least some welfare for him to use. On the country there are no such luxuries, with scorched soil by the fire there was very little food to grow, and much less to be distributed for those mammals on the low tier of the food chain. Looking at this raggedy group of unfortunate souls was like looking at a real life photo of the depression era. But what they lacked in physical stature they compensated by a clear trace of madness in their eyes, these folks had stared at the abyss of despair and it had stared right back at them. They were hungry, angry and eager to vent their rage on the first target that crossed their way. These dangerous hillbillies could be a good army if used right.  
-"Okay guys, here's the plan: We stay hidden and let our enemies make the first move, then as soon as I give the order we attack. You guys -" He said pointing at the hillbillies -"Will go first, I won't lie to you this isn't a pillow fight and many of you could die, but for those who survive we have a promising career as members of our family. Those who don't make it can be rest assured that their families will be employed in a legal business we're making in here."- He owed it to them to be honest about what they were planning to do, those guys would be basically used as cannon fodder. This was perhaps the first time he made a completely immoral decision, he was throwing innocent mammals on a conflict that wasn't their own knowing that many of them could die. But understanding the risk didn't deter them in the slightest, they didn't even show a trace of fear, quite the contrary by the jubilant smile on their faces it was clear they agreed on the terms. So Nick continued giving orders - "The guys from the first wave come with us, we'll climb the trees surrounding the farm and get the higher ground, from there it will be easier to shoot them all"-  
A few minutes later the chopper arrived, out of it came a small group of tigers, wolves, weasels and foxes. All these mammals had something in common, they were experienced snipers and extremely capable in combat, most of them were professionals for hire and not exactly part of the family. Behind the group of threatening predators was none other than little old Michael Mouser.  
-"Good to see you Mr. Mouser, I have a special job just for you"- Judy told him with a bright smile, while gently cradling him in her paws.  
-"So what do you want me to blow up?"- The rodent was vibrating with excitement, he heard the bosses were going all out on this one. With an evil smile she took the mouse with her so they could start planning.  
-"Now don't be shy kits, there's a lot of ammo and body armor. The guys from the first wave get the big caliber guns and the local guys get the extra armor since they will be more exposed to direct fire"- Nick said cheerfully while distributing the equipement. Most of the hillbillies acted like little kits on christmas morning and eagerly took the gear, except for a doe twice the size of Judy and with more muscle mass than many bucks combined.  
-"I'm fine sir, I have all I need right here"- She said while swinging a rusty machete that was larger than his whole arm, seeing the pure evil in her eyes the tod pitied the poor idiot that crossed that psycho.  
…...  
There is a huge tactical issue in the roads connecting the burrows with Zootopia that the Wildes exploited, two thirds of the way and almost reaching the destination you have a somewhat narrow bridge over one of its biggest river.  
That means the large modified semi truck with the police and polar branch of the mafia had to go through it to get there. Once they did that bridge was obstructed by a large, rust filled pink and baby blue van that was broken and turned ninety degrees, blocking both rails. It did look like an accident, the skid marks from when the van swerved and hit the guard rails were deep and tons of pastries were on the floor.  
Below the van was a portly scruffy fox, he was laying on the ground and around him was a set of tools scattered on the floor, he was obviously trying to fix his vehicle himself.  
It took less than ten minutes for the large polar bears to remove the van from the road and just toss it to the river.  
-"What are you doing?!"- Gideon told them terrified -"That's my van, I need that for deliveries!"-  
Kevin didn't have time to waste, he had a battle to fight and an empire to gain, so he grabbed the smaller mammal in his huge hands and begun to squeeze the vulpine as if he were trying to crush him into a pulp.  
-"That's enough Nikov, he's a civilian that has nothing to do with this"- Bogo might have been undercover and posing as a member of the ZIA, but no innocent mammal would be hurt on his watch.  
-"Are you really gonna make a hissy fit over a pathetic fox?"- Raimund said from behind the chief  
-"Are you willing to lose your army for said fox?"- Jack retorted smoothly -"We came here to fight a mob family not a country hick, let that guy go he's not a threat"-  
Looking around them the bears noticed their army of government patsies were looking at them with disdain, how he hated those smug jerks, but his own mammals might not be enough to take down the Wildes so he probably needed their help.  
-"Fine, let's keep moving"- Kevin said throwing Gideon to the river and climbing on his vehicle  
As Jack saw the red fox awkwardly swimming towards the shore he pulled the chief to the side as the army was once again entering the large vehicle they carried for this purpose, on its sides was a sign that read "Mrs. Flufflepuff cupcakes inc. Grandma style pastries" he didn't know who came with the idea of using a truck from that particular company but he guessed it somehow aided their cover.  
-"Chief I don't think that was a coincidence, he's either a distraction or a signal for the mafia that we're getting close"- Jack muttered so quietly even the buffalo beside him could barely hear  
-"Knowing the Wildes, that's the most likely scenario, they are expecting us and have the upper paw. Do you still think we can pull this off?"-  
-"Yes, I'm sure we can do it"- Jack lied, he knew better than to underestimate his enemies but this could be their only chance to eliminate organized crime once and for all, he had no choice but to take that risk  
Unlike the gang members both the police and the ZIA agents knew Jack had no choice to warn the mobsters beforehand, so the polar bears think they have the element of surprise.  
It was likely that they lost the war the moment they did the right thing, by not being able to put those kits on the line of fire they gave away their plans to their enemies.  
Bogo looked at his mammals as they were ready to fight the mob, good males and females eager to do the right thing and he shuddered at the thought of sending them to a losing battle. Agent Savage might be able to sacrifice them for the greater good, but he couldn't.  
Ten minutes into their journey Bogo sent a text message to Nicholas Wilde  
"A large group of mobsters and police officers is coming your way, are the civilians still in the perimeter?"  
"No, they're safe, thanks for the heads up. We also knew of your arrival and were making the preparations for a good old country style welcome party. I'm glad you took our side so we can still be friends"  
The buffalo groaned, couldn't Wilde drop the sarcasm at least once?"I want my officers safe, it's that clear?"  
"Keep your mammals on the back of the squad, let the other guys take the lead, then wait for my instructions"  
And just like that Chief Bogo ruined his chance to defeat organized crime, the lives of thousands would be destroyed in the long run just because he wasn't able to sacrifice the lives of his own crew. He will never again see himself as a righteous individual, he had become as rotten as the streets he vowed to clean up.  
Soon afterwards the mob and the police arrived at their destination, looking at their target they saw that everything was eerily quiet in the burrow. A faint edge of light was coming from the horizon and only the crisp fresh air of the countryside brought movement to what would otherwise be a quaint frozen image in time.  
The chief knew that amount of calm could only exist before a violent storm, with a perfect poker face he told Raimund: -"You should take the lead, we will provide backup from behind"-  
-"Of course, did you think you'll get to have all the fun?"- The bear scoffed, did those punks think they would have the honour of killing those backstabbing pieces of fluff? The army was only here in case the remaining ones brought too much trouble. Their plan was to kill their enemies in their sleep, if things worked out smoothly there wouldn't be much need for those boy scouts anyway. Still he wasn't dumb enough to think that his targets wouldn't have at least some fighters on a night shift guarding the perimeter, so the ZIA would be necessary when that happened  
A large group of trained shooters swiftly entered the burrow while Kevin and Raimund stayed outside to coordinate the attack. The inside of the building was very dark, too dark, and there was no noise coming from the large structure in spite of being allegedly filled with mammals. By the time they realized something was off it was too late, the entire place exploded with the most capable members of the polar faction inside.  
From a safe distance Mouser giggled in pure joy and even did a victory dance as the ball of fire rose well above the plains and the force of the explosion lit up the whole countryside. This is what he lived for, fire and cleansing destruction.  
Standing behind the dancing mouse Judy wasn't so happy about the spectacle, sure this attack was her idea but she wasn't happy about destroying the home she had fought so hard to protect. Still it's not like she didn't have the means to build it back up, probably bigger and better than before. She reminded herself that what she always fought for was her family, not the building where they live.  
Without further need to keep a low profile the first line of combat launched itself to attack, the remaining members of the polar faction were quick to respond and begun to shoot at the swarm of crazy country bumpkins running towards them. Many of their bullets hit the mark and a few bodies hit the floor only to be immediately trampled by their fellow fighters. But the uncoordinated group of hillbillies were wearing armor so the majority of them kept running ahead. By the time those armies clashed the invading side had lost all of the advantage their large weapons provided.  
In the background of the battlefield the burrow still burns on, and the underground construction collapses creating holes on the ground above, mammals from both sides fall to their deaths in those fiery pits. Long range weapons are useless when a huge swarm of bunnies and other mammals are hitting and biting you before you even get the opportunity to aim.  
-"Don't let them get any closer!"- Bogo warned his officers while firing at the chaos in front of him, not caring which side of the mob is hit as long as it's not a member from his own force. Having professional training put the police at a huge advantage, they stayed coordinated in closed formation while the melee of violent mammals before them couldn't tell who the hell were they even fighting with.  
You don't bring a knife to a gunfight, unless you're a crazy bunny with a machete. Esther is having the time of her life, in one single motion she chopped the arm of a dumb wolf who dared to show his teeth at her, once her opponent was crying in agony she aimed the blade at his neck, trying to chop his head off. Sadly her aim was lousy and her blade wasn't sharp so it got stuck into his torso instead and what was worse is that she couldn't even get it off! Abandoning her weapon on the still howling wolf she settled for a big heavy rock and chose a big black bear as her next target, she couldn't jump as high as the other bunnies but it was still high enough to reach his head and smash it with the slab.  
One of the hillbillies, a weasel named Travis, ran away from the fight. Anyone would think that he had been sane enough to witness the carnage in front of him and chose to stay away, but instead he returned with a huge stolen tractor and started literally mowing down his enemies with the heavy machinery.  
While the ground of the fight was a mess, above in the trees there was nothing but surgical precision. The trained snipers would take out their enemies one by one with very clear cut shots while they were too busy fighting below. Lobato and Sam even managed to do a little shooting competition keeping tabs on who killed the most mammals. Seeing the cold hard accuracy in which the doe took out one target after another the wolf had no choice but to admit she wasn't the spoiled princess he thought she was.  
Before they knew it the bulk of the mafia army had arrived, prepared to defend their bosses at all costs. Bogo then received a text message that read "Well chief, it's been lovely to have you here but why don't you let us finish this all up? take your guys with you and never come back" He knew they were surrounded and that if he hadn't came to yet another truce with the mafia he and his mammals would have all died, so he ordered his officers to retreat.  
In less than an hour the mobsters were all dead, with the obvious exception of Kevin and Raimund who had wisely chosen to stay away from the battlefield. Sensing and impending defeat they retreated, they would have to build yet another army and try again later on.  
Jack was right behind them during the attack, he saw the littered corpses of the fight in front of him and the large group of heavily armed mammals that comprised the Wilde's army. If he let those bears get away he might not have a second chance to defeat them, looking at Skye beside him he told her to get her sniper rifle ready, then he advised her to search a higher ground and await for his call, after he dealt with Kevin and Raymund the two agents would find a way to kill the Wildes. Once he knew she was away and safe he followed the bears into hiding.  
-"This was all a trap! They were expecting us!"- Raimund said roaring in a fit of pure rage  
-"Somebody tipped them off"- Kevin said giving the ZIA agent an accusing glare.  
-"Yeah I did"- Jack said no longer caring about keeping his cover, in a rapid motion he took out his gun and shot them both. Raimund was hit in the throat, bleeding out in a matter of minutes, but with Kevin he missed the shot and the bullet landed in his abdomen. It might be a mortal wound if not treated and it hurt like a bitch but he wouldn't faint right away as the movies showed, he had remained lucid and wasted no time to swipe his large claws over the smaller mammal, leaving three huge deep claw marks over the buck's torso. Taking a moment to admire the sight of the tiny rabbit bleeding out he then felt satisfied enough to move on and find some medical assistance.  
As he limped away from the massacre he only managed to do a few dozen steps until he found himself face to face with Judy. The cute bunny doe was holding a gun, it's barrel aimed straight at his temple, behind him he barely registered the screams of a vixen calling the dying ZIA agent's name.  
-"Did you really thought I would let you out of my sight?"- She said triumphant, though she regretted not making it there in time to help the buck. He might have been an enemy but at least he had been responsible for the salvation of her family, unlike the treacherous bear in front of her, the agent had acted with honor.  
She won't even let Kevin have the final word, that bear has had too many chances already. This time her pulse is steady and calm, shots are fired over and over until her opponent's head is turned into a messy pile of red stained fur.  
Behind them, a different type of drama is unfolding. A crying vixen is holding her mate, desperately trying to stem the blood flow from his massive wounds. He wants to tell her that she's on the clear because he hid every trace of her involvement in this whole fiasco, that she was the closest thing he ever had to a real relationship and that he had been too tired of his own life anyway. But his strength was leaving him, looking at the bunny doe standing tall over the dead bear and the red fox walking to stand right behind her, he chose to use his final words more wisely -"Kill them Skye, you can end this all"- then his breath left him and he fainted.  
Torn into shreds from the inside, Skye felt almost in autopilot, part of her was screeching silently in agony but on the surface she was calm. Removing the gun from Jack's holster she aimed it right at the couple. Yes, the whole mafia would end, right fucking now.  
Quickly placing himself in front of his wife Nick disarmed the vixen with something more powerful than his fists, and that was his wit.  
-"We can save him. Put that gun down and we'll give him the best medical treatment money can buy. What's it gonna be snowflake? Our deaths or your lovebun's life?"-  
Sparing a glance at her mate she didn't even hesitate to drop her gun and run by his side. Judy wasted no time calling for her comrades and ordering them to prepare their helicopter for transfer. Skye held Jack as gently as she could and followed the couple, it took only a few minutes for them to reach the chopper but to her it felt like ages.  
It's a good thing casualties and wounds were expected, since the first aid kit the mafia had brought was much better than what soldiers usually take to battle. One of the snipers had a decent training in first aid, so he would travel with them, he quickly used a rapid hemostasis tool that consisted of a large syringe filled with tiny sponges soaked in a coagulant solution. Once the contents were spread over the huge gashes the wound was sealed, preventing further blood loss. Skye released a long breath of relief, he will be fine she tells herself, he will live. The vixen would make sure of it even if that meant she had to go down to the afterlife herself and bring him back by his large fluffy ears.  
….  
Nick and Judy stared at the blood soaked battleground that used to be her home, at least half of the deaths that happened here were tainting their hands. Tonight they had truly crossed the line of good vs evil, they had commanded a huge massacre and put innocent lives in danger.  
-"We'll rebuild your farm carrots, it will be better than before and will have more room so you bunnies can keep multiplying, since you're so good at it"- He gave her his lopsided grin, but that didn't lighten her mood.  
-"Nick, all I wanted was to make the world a better place. There are enough corpses here to fill a cemetery! How can we say we didn't make things worse?"-  
-"Because to make things better you sometimes have to break things that were wrong. We had to kill a lot of mammals just so we could help even more. Yes there are a lot of casualties here, but very soon there will be business rising up bringing prosperity to folks that desperately need it."-  
-"Don't you think the price was too high?"-  
-"Judy if making things right were easy the world would be perfect already. Big dreams always require sacrifices from you and others, it doesn't matter how selfless those dreams are, the bigger they are the more things will have to be destroyed to make it happen. So I'm asking you, are you really ready to make the world a better place, now that you know what's gonna take to do it?"-  
She stared into the pile of dead mammals in front of her, every enemy of her family (mafia and otherwise) was crushed beneath her and her husband. She was sure more enemies and challenges would come eventually and as the mafia's power grew, the more drastic the measures would have to be for her to achieve her goal. Giving her tod a soft kiss on the lips she answered him -"Yes, yes I am"-

Epilogue:

-”Nick are you sure about this?”- Judy said hovering over a crib that could comfortably fit five mammals her size, inside of it laid an adorable (but also huge) polar bear cub that squeaked and giggled, the girl’s large white paws reached upwards towards the fluffy bunny above.

-”She is part of our family Carrots, you know this is the right thing to do”- The fox said smiling while shaking a carrot shaped rattle avobe the cubs face, even at this tender age her paws were strong enough to tear the toy from Nick’s grasp without any effort.

Part of the family, that has a lot of implications considering the type of family they’re talking about.

The cub’s daddy was a loyal member of the mafia, a young polar bear filled with ambition trying to support an already disfuncional family. Sadly his promising criminal career was brought to a halt when a rival gang ambushed him outside of his favorite nightclub.

Death is a depressingly common part of a mobster’s life, nobody joins the family expecting to die of old age, but it still hurts when one of their own dies, especially somebody that young. Naturally the bosses demanded retribution to whoever had been responsible, along with an investigation that was aided by the ZPD.

Not a year had passed and there were already rival gangs trying to defy them, for now they are small groups of miscreants, but one sign of weakness and the Mafia could lose their monopoly on organized crime.

The cub’s mommy is a corpse that floats on cold water below the Tundratown manor, along with many more forgotten souls. Turns out she had betrayed her husband and set him up for an ambush in exchange for a position of power on a rival gang, it wasn’t too hard to connect the dots once she was seen sneaking out of cheap motels with one of its leaders.

So a few murders later the supreme bosses of the criminal underground had once again gotten rid of their competition and tied up all loose ends, well all except for one.

-”I don’t know how are we supposed to do this Nick, she’s too big and we’re really small”- She said wondering how could she even hold a cub that was bigger than her, the baby didn’t seem to matter about it, she just wanted a hug and some cuddles. Shrugging the doe just jumped inside the crib and snuggled next to her, the cub cooed and giggled after finally getting some physical affection.

-”We have a big family filled with guys her size that could help us out, plus tons of resources, we’ll be fine”- He said jumping inside the crib and joining the hug pile, the baby didn’t mind at all.

Judy snorted -”Do you actually think this is gonna be easy?”-

-”A fox and a rabbit raising a polar bear while running a criminal empire?”- Nick laughed -”Of course not! This huge furry snowball will drive us crazy, I can tell”- Meanwhile the cub gave him a sheepish and completely adorable look while chewing the plastic shaker, her fangs were already big enough to leave deep dents on the plastic toy. Staring at those huge eyes made him feel warm and hopeful, almost complete. He had found a mate and a child to call his own, sure they were both unusual choices but to him they felt right, his instincts had driven him mad lately but after finally becoming a parent he did find himself at peace.

-”Sooo, how are we calling her?”- Judy’s voice woke him up from his musings

-”Well Stu told me you promised your mother you’ll name your first child after her, so I guess she’ll be called Bonnie.”-

Judy chuckled -”I had forgotten about that, the last few years I had been so convinced I’ll never be a mom that I didn’t put that much thought to it. Bonnie does fit her though”- She said booping the little girl’s nose and her fingers barely avoided the playful bite her daughter threw in her direction, it was still scary to think what would those fangs do had they managed to grab her mom’s fingers.

-”Also I think we should call her Fru Fru as a middle name, it would make the guys happy and Mr Big would have approved, he would want us to pay homage to his daughter”- He said gently caressing the cub’s ears

-”So the huge polar bear that will inherit our criminal empire will be called Bonnie Fru Fru?”- She said amused of the cutesy name, then gave her husband a soft peck on the lips -”It’s perfect, I love it”-  
\------

Meanwhile in Siberia

Norilsk is the coldest city in the world, located smack dab in the middle of Siberia. It was built by prisoners who died during its construction because of starvation and harsh winters, now their bones are in the foundations of the city, where they rest below layers of snow and toxics. The main source of income in here is a nickel mine that pollutes the air, causes acid rain and kills nearby wildlife, it is like a depressing cold version of hell. Yet for some reason Jack and Skye like to live there, maybe its because of each other’s company, or perhaps it's the solitude and freedom they feel now that he left the ZIA

The agency had no problem taking the credit for the killings of at least a hundred dangerous criminals in Bunnyburrow and they were magnanimous enough to share the credit with the ZPD, since they had done most of the work.

Meanwhile Jack had been commended in the agency for his bravery and the higher ups were quick to offer him the position of chief management. But instead of taking the job the hare leaked thousands of documents proving the shady dealings M had planned for the mafia and Zootopia’s involvement with the government of Tropicalia. A veritable disaster of diplomacy fuck ups followed the leak. Interpol and other international organisms took over the investigation and by the time it was over almost forty percent of the ZIA had been dismantled. M, also known as Meredith Hereford, was among the first to fall after the leak, not being known for her loyalty she quickly ratted out her superiors in exchange for asylum in a non extradition country.

Because of all the backlash this caused Jack had been declared a traitor and sentenced to prison. If it wasn’t for the mafia he would be in Guanfaunamo by now, the Wildes were kind enough to settle a truce with agents and managed to pull enough strings to orchestrate an escape. Once they were out from custody Skye contacted the KGB, the agency was quick to send a rescue team to Zootopia so they could sneak out of the country and settle on Siberia.

So here they hide, in the coldest filthiest city in the world while scheming for a new plan.

-”You okay Jack?”- Skye tells him as he looks out the window from their modest house, outside the acid snow falls heavy but inside there's nothing but warmth and each others company. She has been overprotective of him ever since he got mauled back in the burrows, even with all the medical assistance the mafia provided he’s sure he would have died if she hadn’t stayed by his side.

He looks at her and sees how her blue eyes scan over him looking for signs of pain or bleeding from his deep scars, shaking his head he chuckles -”I’m fine Skye, I was just thinking about our meeting with the KGB”-

-”Oh so you finally came to your senses and decided to back out of that crazy idea of yours?”- She crosses her arms and her fluffy tail swishes side to side

-”Nope! Hey it’s only fair, you helped me uncover the corruption behind my spying agency, now it’s time I help you clean up your agency”-

-”Seriously rabbit? Do you really think you can infiltrate and expose the KGB?”-

-”Why not? You succeeded in your mission and I became a hated traitor by the Zootopia government, in your agency’s eyes were heroes! We got an in and once inside we’ll expose them as well, remember it was the Siberian government that created the drug that almost destroyed my country, I need to figure out what else could they be into”-

-”Uh-huh so tell me mister super traitor spy, have you thought about what will we do once the Siberian government realizes we duped them? Because our mammals don’t fuck around, all you zootopian soldier boys have no idea of what our spetsnaz can do when pissed off”-

-”Then I guess it’s a good thing that we have friends on the other side of the law. Did you know that Bunnyburrow is becoming a sprawling tourist spot? Their veggies are delightful and being such a simple small town means it doesn’t have too many surveillance cameras, it would be easy to blend in”- He says smoothly with a wide smile on his cute face, Skye knows a bit too well the amount of insanity that hides behind that sweet grin, but she can’t help to smile in return.

-”Are you really considering to retire once you purge the KGB?”- She said cocking an eyebrow and walking towards him with a gentle calculated sway on her hips, knowing it would cause the inside of his ears to turn into a lovely pink

-”Well you can only do so much globetrotting and betraying before it starts to get boring you know? I did so much wrong because of following stupid orders, I need to do something right before I drop the towel”- His light blue eyes show a vulnerability that doesn’t fit into what a spy is supposed to be, those aquamarine orbs are tools of persuasion more effective that any interrogation technique and she can’t help herself to fall for them every time.

Nuzzling his neck and crawling above him she gives a soft playful bite to his large ears, enjoying the way they stiff and tremble at the contact. It doesn’t take much to make him hard, he’s a rabbit after all. And there they go again, just as they had ever since he was healthy enough for the exertion. 

They have no limits now, not in their lovemaking or in their lives, they have no corrupted bosses to play them like pawns on hidden intrigues and no fucks given to a society that would probably consider their union unnatural. He’s inside of her now, his small frame in soon enveloped by her larger arms and fluffy tail. He couldn’t care less about the future and the huge amount of danger they will once again plunge into. All that matters is the present, and it is perfect.

THE END


End file.
